Duting the 1970’s India had a controversial sterilization program to help curb the growing population. That
idea is back. Go to pg. 6 to find the story.
There’s a young lama being groomed to possibly take
over the leadership position of the Dalai Lama. Read
the story on pg. 6.
The 16th annual Festival of India Charlotte takes place
during Labor Day weekend. Get the details on pg. 14.
Shankar, Ehsaan, and Loy are one of the hottest music
composing teams in Bollywood. Read an interview with
Ehsaan Noorani on pg. 30.
As the job market slowly improves, read our article on
interviewing tips for jobs on pg. 68.
Catch up on all the happenings in local organizations
in our Community News section beginning on pg. 94 or
stay up to date daily at www.saathee.com.
All the sizzling astroscope predictions are on pg. 122.

A features magazine for the
South Asian Community of the Carolinas

Quote:

“Not everything that is faced can be changed. But
nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
- James Baldwin

Opinions expressed herein are those of the
writers and advertisers and not necessarily of the
publisher or editor. Contact us prior to sending in
articles or photographs for submissions.

Saathee is published monthly. Deadlines for advertisement, submissions and events information is
20th of the previous month.
Mission: Our goal is to be a valuable source of
information for the Carolinas’ South Asian community and a vital advertising tool for businesses.

Every year in India, shantytowns
mushroom in the cities, cities sprawl
into farmland and the country’s population increases by the current population of Australia, a
little over 21 million.
Every day, every minute, on trains and buses, on
sidewalks and streets, the country squeezes and shrinks
and sucks in its breath to push too many people into too
little space.
India has fallen behind in the race to meet the
Millennium Development Goals for reducing its birth rate
by 2015. Only about half of India’s 26 states have
reached the targeted level of two children per mother.
In large, economically depressed states like Bihar and
Uttar Pradesh, an average woman still bears four children
over her lifetime. This means India will surpass China to
become the world’s most populous country by 2030. The
continuing swell threatens the environment and places a
tremendous burden on government services.
But obsession with the Millennium Development targets is pushing India back to incentive-based family
planning, something the country first visited in the 1970s
— where dangerous sterilization operations for women
are too often presented as the first, and sometimes only,
option for birth control.
Critics of India’s repackaged population control program say the cure may be worse than the disease.
“There’s a great hurry to again set targets from
above to be followed by everyone. And that’s again
creating problems,” said A.R. Nanda, executive director of NGO Population Foundation of India and the former health secretary who wrote India’s population policy in 2000.
The main worry? India’s National Population
Stabilization Fund has brought back controversial,
incentive-based sterilization, among other initiatives
aimed at reducing the birth rate.
While sterilization in and of itself isn’t new to India, for
the first time the country is outsourcing the work to private clinics — a move that has raised concerns about
poor and illiterate women of rural India being pressured
or fooled into going under the knife without fully understanding the risks, consequences and alternatives.
Cash rewards threaten to turn operating theaters into
veritable assembly lines. The fund’s Santushti scheme
offers private sector payment of 15,000 rupees per operation and hospitals and clinics get 500 rupees extra per
case if 30 cases are done on a single day in a fixed facility.

August 2010

These factors make it more likely women will be
denied their right to make informed choices about their
medical care and increase the chances of surgical complications, said Abhijit Das, a former fellow in Population
Innovations at the MacArthur Foundation who now heads
an NGO called Healthwatch Uttar Pradesh.
“When you create an incentive system, it privileges
one solution over the other and encourages them to cut
corners,” Das said. “And we’ve had very bad experiences
with that in the past.”
In the 1970s, the Indira Gandhi government pursued
an aggressive, target-based sterilization program that
featured similar incentives for participants, as well as
compulsory vasectomies for men with two or more children. Because of widespread corruption and abuses,
however, many other men were tricked or forced to get
the operation, and many women, too, were compelled to
undergo much more dangerous sterilization procedures.
According to Dr. Amarjit Singh, who heads the
National Population Stabilization Fund, it is making
progress in getting people to use alternative forms of
birth control, like intrauterine devices — a form of birth
control that uses an object inserted into the uterus to
prevent fertilization — in traditional problem states like
Bihar and Orissa, which now have effective and proactive
governments.
In Bihar, for instance, the number of women using the
devices — an essential part of the population program in
China, where 60 percent of women use them — climbed
from around 40,000 in 2009 to around 200,000 last year.
The fund has also leveraged India’s recent Right to
Education legislation with innovative schemes to encourage girls to stay in school, which not only means a
delayed start to their childbearing years but also increases the likelihood that they will use birth control.
And private-public partnerships have helped reduce
the number of home births by increasing the number of
facilities available to poor women. But the general perception remains that uneducated villagers can’t be trusted to use other birth control methods and female sterilization is the only foolproof solution.
“In certain states, it’s still a very male-dominated society, so there’s no certainty that women can ensure that a
condom can be used. An IUD is a good alternative,” said
Singh, referring to the acronym for intrauterine devices.
“But until we’re able to increase use, then sterilization is
the focus.”
According to the latest National Family Health Survey,
37 percent of Indian women have undergone sterilization,
compared with 1 percent of men, while just 3 percent are
on the pill and only 5 percent use condoms.
The figures can be mind-boggling. Along with the
150,000-odd women who were fitted with intrauterine
devices in Bihar last year, for instance, another 150,000
went for sterilization operations.
“Repeated surveys done in India say that in most
cases sterilization is the first method (of birth control)
people are using — which should not be the case,” said
Das. “About one-fourth of the people [in a recent national health survey] did not have any information about a
second method and about a third of that one-fourth did
not have any information about the safety of the sterilization procedure. So there is no informed choice.”
That focus on sterilization has its own dangers.

Dalai Lama Watch: Will the Next One Dig Rap?
The Karmapa Lama plays video games,
and he may be the next His Holiness.

By Natacha Butler - GlobalPost.com

The Dalai Lama’s not getting any younger.
He turned 75 recently and by all accounts he’s in
good health. But, inevitably, the question of who will
succeed one of the world’s most revered spiritual leaders looms large.
Increasingly, the spotlight has been turned to the
Karmapa Lama. He is close to the Dalai Lama and calls
him “a spiritual and personal father figure.” As head of
one of the major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, he is
also an accomplished scholar in his own right. But he’s
of a new generation.
He plays video games and spends
time after meditation listening to rap
music. On a recent visit to his
monastery in Sidbhari, a village near the
Dalai Lama’s exile home in the northern
Indian town of Dharamsala, the
Karmapa Lama tossed around ideas for
which team might win the World Cup —
not exactly the subject that first comes
to mind when you think monastery and Dalai Lama.
“Some people were saying Argentina would win but
now they have lost and are gone so now people are
saying Germany,” said the Karmapa.
There’s no doubt the Karmapa Lama is an unusual
young man. His is an eclectic mix that bridges the gap
between old and young. It’s also turned him into the
modern icon of the Tibetan struggle against China for
autonomy.
Born Ogyen Trinley Dorje, he was pronounced the 17th
incarnation of the Karmapa Lama as a 7-year-old boy and
whisked away to a monastery near the capital Lhasa. He
was quickly recognized by China which hoped it had found
a potentially powerful rival to the Dalai Lama.
But a 14-year-old Karmapa had other plans.
“At 18 I might have had to take a position in the
Chinese government hierarchy ... and turn against the
Dalai Lama and the Tibetan cause. That was one of the
reasons I decided to leave.”
Leave he did, fleeing his home in rural Tibet for
India, embarking on an eight-day journey by foot and
horseback across the Himalayas. China was infuriated
by the dramatic escape that echoed the Dalai Lama’s
flight four decades earlier.
The fact that many believe he is being groomed for
the top is hardly a secret, but the prospect of taking
on such responsibility has failed to enthrall the young
man.
“I’m not very excited about the possibility but His
Holiness has great faith and hope in the young generation
and I’m part of the young generation so I will do what I
can to support his work and hope to leave behind a rich
legacy like his,” said the Karmapa.
He isn’t the only one downplaying the hype. The
Dalai Lama’s spokesman, Tenzin Taklha, praises the
young monk but said no one knows what will happen
after the Dalai Lama.
“[The Karmapa] is charismatic, good-looking and
August 2010

has great potential. He’s a promising leader and will
certainly be one of our most important spiritual leaders but I could not say he is the only next leader.”
Tibetan Youth Congress President Tsewang Rigzin
echoes Taklha’s caution, explaining that while the
Karmapa is a “potential spiritual leader, it’s just too
early to tell.”
The Dalai Lama has discussed his succession
although no decisions have been made.
Traditionally monks in Tibet would fan out across
the region to find the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation after
his death, but some fear China will hijack the situation
and insert its own chosen figure, as it did in 1995 with
the Panchen Lama. At that time, the Dalai Lama named
a competing incarnation, who promptly vanished.
This time, the Dalai Lama has signaled he could
break with tradition and name a spiritual leader to
succeed him prior to his death.
While the succession question remains unanswered, for now there’s universal agreement that losing the Dalai Lama would be a devastating blow.
“When you don’t have a leader you are very lost so
it’ll have huge impact on the Tibetan exiled community and Tibetans in Tibet, as well as globally ... I cannot
even contemplate that in my everyday life,” said the
Karmapa with a sigh, his broad shoulders slumping.
For now the Karmapa’s everyday life is packed with
study, meditation and meetings with people that range
from community leaders to Hollywood celebrities like
Richard Gere.
India has granted him asylum but restricts his travel, wary of aggravating already tense relations with
neighboring China. The Karmapa has been abroad
only once in 11 years, when he went to the United
States in 2008.
It’s a source of great frustration to a young man
itching to spread his wings and meet his spiritual
brethren around the world.
“Lots of people are waiting for me to come to their
countries so it is upsetting as I can’t fulfill their wishes,” he said.
He may be struggling to fulfill his followers’ wishes
abroad but closer to home the Karmapa is doing just
fine.
“Young people love the Karmapa,” said Lobsang
Rampa, a 22-year-old student who arrived in
Dharamsala from Tibet five years ago. “He’s one of us,
the younger generation, he’s our future.”

India’s All-out Efforts to Woo Obama
Cities across India are vying for Obama’s attention
months ahead of a planned state visit.
By Saritha Rai - GlobalPost.com
Will it be chicken tikka in New Delhi, idli-dosa in
Bangalore or pav-bhaji in Mumbai for the American
president and the first lady?
In November this year President Barack Obama will
make his maiden visit to the
country that he describes as a
rising power and a 21st century
center of influence.
The official announcement
has barely been made and
already half dozen Indian cities
from Bangalore and Chennai in
the South, Mumbai in the West,
and Patna in between, are vying
to get on Obama’s itinerary.
The visit, heavy with diplomatic and strategic overtones,
is four months away — assuming he doesn’t cancel, as
he has previously done with trips to Asia. But so serious is the “Woo-bama”’ campaign to bring Obama to
various cities that it already involves India’s foreign
minister, several chief ministers and assorted other
politicians.
A U.S. president’s visit has immense cachet in India
where investment-hungry cities and local government
look for ways to lure foreign investors. A presidential
visit ups the brand quotient of the city, besides helping local politicians get ahead in their game.
The full-fledged effort to sway the U.S. president
got underway in Washington during India’s external
affairs minister S.M. Krishna’s official visit there in
early June. Krishna said he invited the president to
visit Bangalore, India’s technology hub.
Earlier this week BS Yeddyurappa, chief minister of
the state Karnataka of which Bangalore is the capital,
met Krishna asking him to prevail upon Obama to
include Bangalore in his travel schedule.
The city, which gave the lexicon the term
“Bangalored” — meaning to lose one’s job to outsourcing — has been controversial right from the start
of Obama’s term. Just after his election, at the height
of the financial recession, Obama exhorted American
corporations to “say No to Bangalore, say Yes to
Buffalo.” American school kids had better watch out
for competition from Bangalore and Beijing, he said.
Krishna, the minister, told the president that a
Bangalore visit is essential so that he could understand how American corporations benefit from being
based in the city.
Not to be left behind, neighboring Chennai has
launched its own all-out effort to woo Obama. The city
plans to list the major American corporations that are
thriving in the city.
India’s financial capital Mumbai is also pitching for
an Obama stopover. The state government there is
hoping that the president will stay overnight at the Taj
Mahal Hotel, which was at the eye of the gruesome
terrorist attack in November 2008. Mumbai hopes that
August 2010

this will be a confidence-building presidential gesture.
Meanwhile in New Delhi, the upscale Bukhara
restaurant had created rich, kebab meat-filled
“Presidential Platter” and a “Hillary Platter” for the former president and his wife on separate visits.
Restaurants in New Delhi, Bukhara included, are
now vying to host the U.S. president and the first lady
and concoct culinary creations named after Obama
and Michelle.
Whether the Obamas, known for their funky and
down-to-earth choices in restaurants, clothing and
everything else, will dine at a swanky location or try
one of New Delhi’s trendier eating establishments is
the stuff of diplomatic speculation.

The 16th annual Festival of
India will be held on Labor Day
Weekend in downtown Charlotte. The 2day event attracts thousands of people to enjoy
numerous aspects of colorful Indian cultures. As every
year, the India Association of Charlotte will present the
festival on Saturday, Sept 4, 2010 (Noon-7 pm) and
Sunday, Sept 5, 2010 (Noon-6 pm) at the Knight
Theater,
430
S.
Tryon St. From the
taste of favorite
Indian foods to the
richly colored sights
and sounds of hundreds of children
dancing, Charlotte’s
Festival of India has
something for all
ages – indoors and out. Get a taste of exotic India
without leaving town where many food vendors will
offer a range of Indian foods, including regional specialties and many favorites like Bhel Puri, Pani Puri,
and Chat. The festival offers not only a variety of
Indian cuisine but also entertainment, clothing, arts,
crafts, as well as educational and cultural presentations and exhibits.
Other activities include an art exhibition featuring
local artists, live yoga demonstrations, and special
exhibitions on the culture and history of India. This
year the festival will also present lectures by prominent authorities on the religions and arts of India, and
the geopolitical dynamics in India-Pakistan and
Afghanistan.

pants and all nationalities are welcome. The
topic for the competition will be given on the
spot and will be age-group appropriate.
Participants can use the medium of their
choice.
The organizers will provide a
drawing sheet (11”x14”). No outside drawing
sheet is allowed. All participants need to
bring all other art materials (example: pencils, erasers, water color paints, acrylic
paints, pastels, crayons, color pencils,
brushes, palettes, water cups, drawing
board etc.). Judging will be based on the following criteria: originality, creativity, best
interpretation of given topic. Parents should drop off
participants at the venue at 9:45 am for registration.
Participants shall be picked up at 12 noon. No parents
will be allowed inside the venue during the competition. Winning entries will be notified via phone or
email. Prizes shall be awarded at the 2010 Festival of
India at Knight Theatre. Final date for Entry Form
Submission is Tuesday August 10, 2010. The competition will take place on Saturday August 21, 2010 (10
am-12 noon) at the Hindu Center, 7400 City View Dr.
Charlotte NC 28212.
The India Association of Charlotte was established
as an independent nonprofit organization in February
1995.
For the full program schedule, exhibits, children’s
art competition, cuisine and vendors of the Festival of
India 2010 visit www.indiafestival.net.

THE CULTURAL
STIMULUS
A book by NC Resident
Sandeep S. Sodha (pen name-Sam)
Book preview available on Amazon.com

A Multicultural perspective
for a Better, Stronger and
Smarter America!

A slew of local talent will present classical, folk,
Bollywood and fusion style dances in both the indoor
stage as well as the outdoor stage. There will also be
an “Indian Idol” talent competition among local Indian
singers. The admission ticket for both days is only $5
and free for children under the age of 10.
There is also a children’s art competition conducted
and organized specifically or the Festival of India
2010. The competition is for age groups 5-8 years, 912 years, and 13-16 years. Entry is free to all partici-

August 2010

Sandeep S.Sodha, member of Hindu Center and
graduate of UNC@Charlotte, recently authored a
book using his background and upbringing from
Kenya, India and NC for a better America, citing
examples from our unique culture.

Saathee 14

e-mail: feedback@samsodha.com

Author is available for speaking
engagements in the Carolinas.
saathee.com

“Keep politics out of art and culture,” says Pakistan pop
singer Ali Zafar who arrived in Mumbai last month and
would like nothing better than to move to Mumbai and
become a singing actor like Kishore Kumar. He is honest
enough to admit there’s more scope for
him to function in India than in Pakistan.
“I’ll be honest. There are more
avenues and prospects here. So if the
God above and the politicians down
below permit, I’d love to move to
Mumbai. An artist knows no bounds
and boundaries. My first home is
Lahore. But I’d like to make Mumbai my
second home,” Zafar said in a recent interview
on Bollywood Hungama. In the last 6-7 years, he has been
to Mumbai at least 20 times. However, he was unable to
return recently because of the current political scenario.
“Things have changed. My last visit was before 27/11 and
I remember how pleasant the mood was in Mumbai. I was
free to move around and roam freely on the streets of
Mumbai. I cannot deny there’s tension between the two
countries. Initially, we artists from Pakistan used to get
multiple visas quite easily. Yes now it’s different, and sadly
so. However, I feel singers and other artists should be
exempt from politics,” he said in the interview.

Superstar Akshay Kumar has been chosen as the Indian
ambassador by the Canada Tourism Commission (CTC).
Michele McKenzie, President and CEO of the Canada
Tourism Commission said, “We’re thrilled that Akshay
Kumar has agreed to be the CTC’s Ambassador for India.
Having a superstar like Akshay on board to boost Canada’s
profile within his country will help turn the spotlight on the
extraordinary experiences that visitors can enjoy here,”
she said in an interview with India Fm. Kumar said, “I am
very honored and privileged to have been asked to represent the CTC as their Ambassador for India. Canada is my
second home and I am truly proud to encourage and promote Canadian tourism in India. I have an extremely
strong connection to this great land and its warm people.”
He will be shouldering the responsibility of being Canada
Tourism Commission’s ambassador till summer 2012.

Big B, Ajay Devgn and Manoj Bajpayee
in Prakash Jha’s Aarakshan

His last film Raajneeti turned
out to be a big hit and filmmaker Prakash Jha is now at
work on his next big project
titled Aarakshan. The film is
based on the issue of job
reservations and student politics
and
stars
Amitabh
Bachchan, Ajay Devgn and
Manoj Bajpayee in lead roles. While Ajay and Manoj did
feature in Raajneeti, this is the first time that Jha would
be working with Big B. Moreover, like Raajneeti, Jha plans
to shoot Aarakshan in Bhopal.

August 2010

Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, who is one of the
judges of the music-based reality show “Chotte Ustaad 2,”
says he is thankful to India for providing a platform to
young singers from his country, which hasn’t been able to
promote budding talent. “The situation in Pakistan is not
good... the country is facing problem of
terrorism and so we cannot provide
a platform to budding talent here.
We are thankful to India and the
makers of this show for roping in
children from Pakistan,” Khan
told PTI. “Chhote Ustaad 2” will
feature 10 children from India
and 10 from Pakistan. Each
Pakistani child will be paired with
an Indian child, and the 10 pairs will
compete with each other for the title.
Khan, who has chartbusters like “Mann Ki Lagan” (Paap),
“Jiya Dhadak Dhadak” (Kalyug), “Teri Ore” (Singh is Kinng)
and “Ajj Din Chadheya” (Love Aaj Kal) to his credit, said
films and cricket were the two mediums to bring India and
Pakistan together. On “Chhote Ustaad 2,” Khan, who is the
nephew of Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, said “I liked the
concept of the show. It encourages brotherhood between
India and Pakistan. It is a very good step and hence I
wanted to support it.” Omi Vaidya, the silencer from 3
Idiots will host the show, which will be aired on Star Plus.
Khan, along with acclaimed playback singer Sonu Nigam
will be seen as judges.

Omi Vaidya to Play One of the Lead Roles
in The Italian Job remake

Omi Vaidya, who played the role of the nerdy Chatur
Ramalingam in the blockbuster 3 Idiots, has
now bagged some really plum projects.
Recently Vaidya was signed by
Madhur Bhandarkar to play one of
the lead roles alongside Ajay
Devgan and Emraan Hashmi in Dil
Toh Bachcha Hai Ji and even as he
begins shooting for that film, director duo Abbas-Mustan has roped
him in to play a pivotal role in their
remake of the Hollywood hit - The
Italian Job. Abhishek Bachchan, Neil Nitin
Mukesh and Katrina Kaif are also part of the cast of this big
project. – Bollywood Hungama

Sonam Kapoor Gets Offer to Star
in Ben Stiller’s Next Film

The globetrotting Veteran actor Anil Kapoor made quite an
impression post Slumdog Millionaire and
now daughter Sonam Kapoor has
caught the eye of Ben Stiller. While
in LA Anil kapoor met Ben Stiller to
discuss ideas for a joint production company, that’s when he
told Stiller about his co-production Aisha. When Stiller saw the
film, he called Kapoor expressing
his desire to cast Sonam for his
film 30 Minutes Or Less. It may be
difficult to cast her, though, due to
her prior commitments. She is already in
the midst of filming Mausam and Thank You while she
promotes Aisha. Possibilities are still being worked out so
that she can do the film.

Saathee 20

saathee.com

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Jaan Nisar Akhtar: (1914 – 1976)
Jaan Nisar Akhtar, the father of lyricist
and scriptwriter, Javed Akhtar, was born
in a family of Sunni Islamic scholars and
poets on Feb. 14, 1914 in Gwalior,
Madhya Pradesh. He graduated from
high school in 1930 and worked his way up the education ladder and received his Master in Arts degree
from Aligarh Muslim University. He married Safiya
Siraj-ul Haq in 1943 and had two sons, Javed in 1945
and Salman in 1946. Sadly she died of cancer in 1953.
He worked as a professor of Urdu and Persian in
Hamidia College in Bhopal. Although he loved writing
ghazals, he moved to Mumbai in 1949 to write lyrics
for Bollywood films. He came to light as a film lyricist
in 1955 in film the film “Yasmeen” (Music by C.
Ramchandra.) Though he did not get much success in
film songs, his contribution to the collections of ghazals and verses in the books he published is quite
notable. The book “Khak-e-Dil” (The Ashes of Heart),
his collection of Urdu poems from 1935 to 1970, won
him the Urdu Sahitya Academy Award in 1976. The
book “Hindustan Hamara” is a collection of best
Hindustani poems from the last three centuries, containing the festivals, rivers and the praises of Indian
history. Two volumes of this book were released by
then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Of the many
songs he wrote, I like his song “Gariba Jaanake Hamko
Na Tum Dagaa Denaa,” which was sung by Mohd. Rafi
in the film “Chhoo Mantar.” Jaan Nisar Akhtar died in
Mumbai on Aug. 19, 1976.
1980- Filmfare Best Lyricist award for the song: “Aajaa
Re Mere Dilbar” (Film-Noorie)
Some of his other popular films:
1955 — Yasmeen & Baap re baap
1956 — C.I.D. & Naya Andaaz
1963 — Rustom Sohrab
1967 — Bahu Begum (Producer)
1974 — Prem Parbat
1977 — Shankar Hussain
1979 — Noorie
1983 — Razia Sultan

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just because school is out

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One of his popular classic lyrics: “Aankhon hi aankhon
mein ishaara ho gayaa...” is given in this issue of
Saathee in Evergreen Classic Film Lyrics on page 24.
August 2010

Saathee 22

919-462-3330

1229 NW Maynard Rd., Cary, NC
(Next to Brigs Restaurant)

saathee.com

SITAr CeLeBrATeS KerALA'S
MOST AUSPICIOUS feSTIVAL

ONAM

MArK YOUr CALeNDAr fOr AUGUST

22nd (NOON TO 3 PM)

COMe WITH YOUr fAMILY AND INDULGe
IN AUTHeNTIC VeGeTArIAN DISHeS !!!
BeAUTY Of TrADITIONAL DeCOr
AND PHUKKALAM!!!

Meaning (Summary): The winks of your eyes became
the support to live life, even while just sitting there.
Why are you singing a song with your hand on your
heart? Why do you seem to be lost? what is the matter? How long have you been like this!
You are jaywalking and your gate has also changed;
you have colorful eyes and the hairs are also tangled.
Who is your lover that you are a viewpoint of? It is my
strong voice and I know you have a thief in your
heart. How did that thief become agreeable! What
kind of love is this and what kind of pride is this! Let
me also listen that you are hiding from me. Well, now
my heart is yours.

Since 1993

Pl
l
o

a

Dh
See this song on Nazar Television in August.
Visit saathee.com for Nazar Television local listings.

By Smitha K. Prasad
Dear readers, in this month’s column, I will discuss
the typical format of a Carnatic music concert. Over
the years, Carnatic music concerts have undergone
changes both in terms of duration and format.
Previously, most Carnatic music concerts would begin
later in the evening and last into the early hours of the
morning, a duration of 5-6 hours. There was also no
typical format that was followed by artists.
The modern day kutcheri paddhathi or concert format
that most musicians follow today was introduced by
the legendary vocalist Sri. Ariyakudi Ramanuja
Iyengar. The present day concerts are mostly held in
the evening hours and generally last anywhere
between 1.5- 2.5 hours although it is not uncommon
to have kutcheris that are 3.5-4 hours in duration. The
items that you will find in a typical concert include:

Hindustani Music - Gwalior Gharana
By Anita Kulkarni

The Gwalior Gharana is the oldest among all the
Khayal Gayaki (vocal) styles. The rise of the Gwalior
Gharana started with the reign of the great Mughal
emperor Akbar (1542–1605). The favorite singers of
this patron of the arts, such as Miyan Tansen, who was
the first amongst the vocalists at the court, came from
the town of Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh State). Many of
the gharanas in Hindustani classical music are said to Varnam- Most musicians begin concerts with a varhave its roots in Gwalior gaayaki.
nam. Varnam is a composition that has both swara
(notes) components and sahithya (lyrics) components.
Founders – The gharana traces its ancestry to Ustad Varnams have been composed in a number of ragas
Nathan Peerbaksh of the 17th century. This legend’s (melodies) and talas (rhythm cycles) and serve as a
maternal grandsons were the famous Haddu, Hassu warm up for the artiste before plunging into some of
and Nathu Khan. Nathu khan then trained his sister- the more demanding aspects of the concert.
in-law’s son, Bade Nisar Hussain. Pt. Ramkrishnabua
Vaze of Maharashtra and Pt. Shankarrao Pandit of Krithi- The krithi is the main music compositional form
Gwalior were disciples of this great maestro Nisar in Carnatic music and consists of three main units.
Krithis are again composed in various ragas and talas.
Hussain Khan (19th century).
Features – The stylistic features of the Gwalior
Gharana are the use of medium laya even in Bada
Khyaal, and skilfull taan, boltaan and behelawa
according to the mood of the raga to make the performance interesting. The distinctive feature of this
style of singing has been noted as its lucidity and simplicity. This gharana is well-known for its full repertoire as the followers of this school are taught and
know a rich collection of composition-types. Bada and
chota khyaal, thumri, tappa, tarana, and bhajan have
been enumerated and have become very popular. For
these, it is very important to sing in a clear, natural
and rounded voice with gamak. Just like it is essential
to sing the bandish in a clear and pinpointed voice, it
is also important to keep it faithful with the taal. The
bandishes that have been passed down from the guru
to shishya (student) traditionally are meant to be sung
in exactly the same way through the generations –
both in terms of sur as well as taal. Similarly, a lot of
practice in the kharja (lower octave) is recommended,
so as to give the voice a certain weight and quality.
Exponents - Bal Krishna Bua Karanjikar, Pt Vishnu
Digambar Paluskar, Pt Omkarnath Thakur, Pt L. K.
Pandit, Veena Sahasrabuddhe and Malini Rajurkar.

Sub-main presentation- A typical concert has two
prominent presentations - the main presentation and a
sub-main presentation; the latter is of slightly lesser
importance than the main presentation. The artist
brings in elements of manodharma (spontaneous
improvisations) in the form of alapana (melodic
improvisation of raga), neraval (improvisation of a
composed line of a krithi) and swaraprasthara (improvisation of swara exposition).
Main presentation- The main presentation again places
great emphasis on the elements of manodharama in
the form of detailed alapana, neraval and swaraprasthara. Sometimes the main piece of a concert consists of a ragam-tanam-pallavi presentation. Ragam or
alapana is the melodic improvisation, tanam (improvisation with an underlying rhythm) and pallavi (improvisation similar to neraval).
Tukkada- The second part of the concert consists of
compositions in lighter ragas called tukkadas (tidbits),
which are introduced after the main presentation.
Bhajans, Devaranamas, and abhangs fall into this category.
continued on page 84

Smitha Prasad

Anita Kulkarni

is a Carnatic vocalist based in Cary, NC
Email: smitha_prasad@hotmail.com

Email:info@anitakulkarni.com

August 2010

Saathee 26

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Dances
of India
By Dr. Maha Gingrich
Spirituality and Modernity in Dance
A few years ago, I choreographed the well-received
Bharatha Natyam dance sequences to blend into
Georges Bizet’s rarely staged opera, “The Pearl
Fishers.” This 18th century French composer was obviously enchanted by India and wrote this exotic work,
set on the island of Ceylon, now known as Sri Lanka.
This of course
was a great
challenge as
the music is in
French and the
beats are different. I had
to invoke my
deep senses
for an authentic choreography. I did not want to dilute the spirituality and authenticity of Bharatha Natyam in the process
and sacrifice its purity to today’s modernity. I wanted
my students to take pride as Indian classical dancers in
an Opera Theatre.
We do not know of any dancers who had ever choreographed Bharatha Natyam to French Opera Music.
Our director of Opera, Becky Cook-Carter says that
“this is the first.” It was such a great experience to
watch 40 actors and singers, all non-Indians, dressed
in traditional Indian clothes, singing the glory of Lord
Brahma, (The Creator), in French. That is when I
have realized that we can and must keep our tradition
alive and still can incorporate it into a totally different
art form. I made no compromises in dressing, movements and the story telling aspects of this unblemished dance form. Especially, as Bharatha Natyam
has many vehicles of expression, such as the hastas/hand gestures, rhythm, facial expressions, beautiful costumes, that could be incorporated to tell our
stories using any music.
Recently, many traditional dancers like myself and
great dance Historians and critics like Dr. Sunil
Kothari, Rustom Bharucha, and Avanti Meduri are concerned about the origins of dance and the issue of
“invented tradition.” This challenge is magnified by the
Diaspora of Indian dancers who have migrated and
settled in different parts of the world.
During the times when Bollywood is becoming a
major symbol of being an Indian for younger generation, obviously through these traditional dances, many
parents are seeking ways to add to the identity development of their second-generation Indian American
children. It also places additional burden on us as
dance teachers to maintain the integrity of these
dance forms. I see this as a spiritual struggle, in hopes
August 2010

of passing on the Indian culture to the future generations. As Dr. Kothari states “The values of these spiritual struggles are, of course, important, in so far as
there can be no art without a living, burning faith in
the philosophy of life behind it.”
We all know that modernity and Bollywood do not
come with ethical theory and instructions on how to
manage your life. We as individuals have to make
choices that are right for us and for the future of our
community and culture and set boundaries on how
far one would go in the name of modernity and at
what cost? The overall benefits of society should be
considered to support and nurture the traditional values such as family, ethics, arts and crafts, and cultural practices.
As a product of globalization, I believe that the
benefits of modernity do not cancel out the harm.
They exist, and have to exist, side by side. Anything
becomes bad when done in excess, whether it is eating, exercising or compulsively trying to change
things to adopt one global culture. It would be
absurd to try to stop this clash between spirituality
and modernity, but if we navigate skillfully, and balance our values, we can continue to keep our traditions and values alive.

We had a hard time figuring out which songs to do
because we’ve got so many hits, but we’re doing lots of
songs from “Kal Ho Na Ho,” “Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna,” “My
Name is Khan,” “Bunty Aur Babli,” “Rock On!!,” and “Dil
Chahta Hai.” There are a bunch of songs! Shafqat will do
his own thing and he’s also going to sing a couple of songs
which we’ve done with him. Richa is going to do one song
with us and her own thing, as well.

The three of you joined talents in 1997 with
“Dus,” and have been together for 13 years and
have worked on over 40 OSTs in Hindi, Tamil and
On behalf of Saathee Telugu. How have you seen yourself evolve as a trio
Magazine, Amanda Sodhi spoke over the years?
with Ehsaan Noorani from the
talented, IIFA, Filmfare, Star
Musically, it’s been a growth always. We have a certain
Screen, and National award- maturity and have been doing different kinds of soundwinning Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy tracks. The Bollywood soundtrack is not really an easy
musical trio which has brought thing. I think we’ve been very varied with our composius many memorable sound- tions and the kinds of soundtracks we’ve delivered. Each
tracks
including
“Shool,” soundtrack has been native to the particular film.
“Dillagi,” “Mission Kashmir,”
“Dil Chahta Hai,” “Yeh Kya Ho
Rock, Techno, Classical, Qawaali, Punjabi, Folk,
Raha Hai?,” “Ek Aur Ek Sufi Music… You’ve composed music in pretty much
Gyarah,” “Armaan,” “Nayee Padosan,” “Kuch Naa Kaho,” every genre. Did the three of you grow up listening
“Kal H Naa Ho,” “Rudraksh,” “Kyun…! Ho Gaya Na,” to a variety of music, or do you actually do a lot of
“Lakshya,” “Phir Milenge,” “Bunty Aur Babli,” “Kabhi Alvida research before starting a project?
Naa Kehna,” “Don,” “Salaam-e-Ishq,” “Jhoom Baraabar
Jhoom,” “Heyy Babby,” “Johnny Gaddaar,” “Taare Zameen
Shankar comes from a classical Indian music backPar,” “Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna,” “Thoda Pyaar Thoda ground and Indian film music background, and Loy is into
Magic,” “Rock On!!,” “Chandni Chowk To China,” “Luck By R&B, and I’m into rock, blues, and electric. Shankar is
Chance,” “13B,” “Sikander,” “Wake Up Sid,” “London from a classical music background but is open to all forms
Dreams,” “My Name Is Khan,” and “Karthik Calling of music and he’s absorbed it all very well—his growth has
Karthik.” Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy are currently touring been large.
the United States with the Inspiration Aman Ki Asha tour
and will perform in Atlanta on August 7, 2010. Here
Do you avoid listening to other music while comEhsaan talks about the tour, his plans to visit his music posing?
school in Los Angeles while touring, how the trio has
evolved over the past thirteen years, their composition
I listen to music all the time, but the only kind of music
process, current trends in the Bollywood music scene, and I don’t listen to is Hindi film music.
their upcoming projects.
By Amanda Sodhi

When I spoke with you in 2007 you were supposed to be touring in the United States, but it’s
three years later that you are finally actually touring
with the Inspiration Aman Ki Asha Tour alongside
Mahalakshmi Iyer, Shafqat Amanat Ali, Richa
Sharma, Anusha Mani, and Raman Mahadevan,
which began on July 17 in New Jersey and ends on
August 8 in Boston. It sure has taken a while for this
tour to happen!
We were with another promoter who in 2007, 2008 said
we’re going to do a tour and we sat down and had lots of
meetings. And, then he got another project and it was like
this for two years, and there were other promoters waiting in the wings to take us for a tour but we wouldn’t commit to them because we were always with one guy, whose
tours never worked out, because he was a friend. So,
finally this year Rakesh Kaushal came along and said,
“This thing is confirmed and I want to do it,” and we said,
“Okay, we’re going ahead.”
Could you give us a sneak preview of the tour and
how you’ve zoned in on songs?
August 2010

Really? You don’t listen to film music?

Not at all. You can’t get into your own music. I’ve heard
so much of older composers—Hemant Kumar, R.D.
Burman, and the whole lot. You can’t be influenced by the
industry you work in. As a creative person I should be
inspired by all the music that’s out there and not by what’s
in the industry, otherwise you start sounding like everybody else.
Do you prefer to have lyrics ready first or do you
compose first? How do you adapt to different lyricists working styles, such as Prasoon Joshi versus
Gulzar or Javed Akhtar?
95% of the times music is first. We compose a melody
with freehand and no commitment to a particular meter.
Sometimes the lyricist might be there and go to the other
room and write something. But, usually like with Javed
Akhtar, Sameer, Gulzar sahib, they take the melody home,
work on it and bring it back.

Saathee 30

continued on page 86

saathee.com

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South China Sea:
The Coming War?
Five things you need to
know about one of the world’s
most dangerous places.
By Jonathan Adams
- GlobalPost.com
TAIPEI, Taiwan — It’s a
3.5 million-square kilometer
stretch of ocean, speckled
with some 200 coral atolls, some submerged or so tiny
they hardly deserve to be called islands.
Welcome to the South China Sea, an obscure patch
of global real estate that you’re likely to hear more
about in coming years.
Six Asian countries have long had competing — at
times comical — claims to various islands here, sending
token military forces to occupy barren rocks at great
expense in the name of national pride.
What’s new is China’s muscle-flexing, which, if trends
continue, could make the South China Sea one of Asia’s
most dangerous flash-points.
Fueling tensions in the sea are untapped oil and natural gas reserves, China’s growing strategic interest in
protecting sea lanes by which it gets some of its oil, and
Beijing’s desire to develop a “blue-water” navy capable
of projecting power far beyond China’s shores.
The U.S. is paying closer attention to the South China
Sea, after China reportedly threatened U.S. energy firm
ExxonMobil with retaliation if it continued oil exploration
off Vietnam in waters China considers its own. And last
year Chinese military vessels harassed U.S. surveillance
ships in the sea.
Earlier this month, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert
Gates made what’s believed to be the highest-level public U.S. remarks to date on the issue.
“The South China Sea is an area of growing concern,”
he said at a security forum in Singapore. “This sea is not
only vital to those directly bordering it, but to all nations
with economic and security interests in Asia.”
Gates repeated the U.S.’ longstanding policy that it
takes no position on conflicting sovereignty claims in the
South China Sea.
But he said the U.S. believes “it is essential that stability, freedom of navigation, and free and unhindered
economic development be maintained” and that “we
object to any effort to intimidate U.S. corporations or
those of any nation engaged in legitimate economic
activity.”
Here’s a primer on the issue:
1) Why does America care?
The U.S. objects to any attempts to intimidate
American energy companies operating in the South
China Sea, which stretches from China all the way
south to Indonesia. It also insists on the right of free
navigation in international waters, defined, in accordance with customary international law, as any waters
beyond 12 nautical miles from a nation’s shoreline.
China says its sovereign territorial waters extend 200
August 2010

miles from its shores, and makes a historical claim to
almost all of the South China Sea, according to a
backgrounder from the Heritage Foundation. China
also says that any ship traversing the sea should first
obtain Chinese permission. It has long complained
about U.S. intelligence-gathering from spy-planes and
spy-ships operating off its coastline.
2) Who else claims territory in the South China Sea?
Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei
also claim all or some of the South China Sea. Vietnam
and China both claim the Paracels islands (known as the
Xisha in Chinese), which China has controlled since a
1974 battle with Vietnam that left 18 dead. The other
four countries as well as China and Vietnam also claim
some or all of the Spratly Islands (known as the Nansha
in Chinese) further south. China’s hold here is more tenuous; a skeleton force occupies nine speck-like islands,
while Taiwan holds the largest island Itu Aba (or Taiping
island, in Chinese), Vietnam holds 29 islands, the
Philippines eight and Malaysia three, according to
Michael Richardson, a visiting researcher at the Institute
of Southeast Asian Studies, in a recent commentary.
More than 70 Vietnamese sailors died in the latest military clash in the Spratlys, with China in 1988.
3) What’s new about China’s behavior?
China has built up its small military presence in the
Spratlys. It angered Vietnam by issuing a unilateral fishing ban in the South China Sea, then boarding and seizing Vietnamese fishing boats who did not observe that
ban. Longer-term, China is building up a massive naval
base on its southern island of Hainan from which it will
be able to project power into the South China Sea. The
base will house China’s new nuclear-armed submarines,
as well as its first aircraft carrier, expected to enter service by 2012, and many other warships. Perhaps most
significantly, China has recently begun to define its claim
of sovereignty over the South China Sea as a “core
interest,” say analysts, using new language that puts the
sea on par with Beijing’s claims over Taiwan and Tibet.
Veteran China watcher Willy Lam calls it part of China’s
“red-line diplomacy.” “These red lines define China’s
core interests,” said Lam at a recent talk in Taipei.
“Now, China is increasing its core interests. The latest
development is that China also considers the South
China Sea as its ‘core interest’ — it’s asking the U.S.
and other countries not to interfere with its ‘core interests’ in the South China Sea. It’s drawing red lines
around the entire sea.”
Wendell Minnick, Asia bureau chief for Defense News,
wrote in an email that Gates’ remarks in Singapore were
a “surprise.” “Clearly China’s decision to include the
South China Sea as a ‘core interest’ is something
unnerving,” said Minnick. Southeast Asian nations are
also increasingly worried, according to Arthur Ding, a
Taiwan expert on military issues who also attended the
Singapore conference. He said he’s heard rising concerns from southeast Asian officials, especially those
from Vietnam and the Philippines, about China’s growing “assertiveness.” And he highlighted Chinese general
Ma Xiaotian’s mention of the South China Sea in a Q&A
session in Singapore. “The South China Sea had
become so quiet, or at least not as much of an issue

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Climbing the Stairs
Author: Padma Venkatraman
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Review by Swapna Krishna
Vidya is a fifteen year old girl living
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father, a doctor, is a supporter of the
Indian independence movement and
subscribes to Gandhi’s doctrine of
ahimsa, or nonviolence. Vidya wants
more for herself than the traditional
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marriage because she wants her
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rather than becoming a housewife.
When tragedy strikes her family and their circumstances change drastically, Vidya is unsure whether
she will ever find happiness.
I’d heard very good things about Padma
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book both interesting and impossible to put down.
I simply loved the character of Vidya. I loved the way
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Venkatraman deals with a lot of serious issues in
“Climbing the Stairs,” but manages to refrain from
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treatment of Indian citizens, Venkatraman doesn’t shy
away from the difficult parts of life back then. It is
these issues that Vidya must grapple with and try to
understand on a daily basis.
I also appreciated that Venkatraman highlighted the
role of India during World War II. She exposes some
little-known facts about India’s involvement and
makes sure to make it a central part of the novel. As a
result, the reader comes away feeling like they’ve
learned something new.
“Climbing the Stairs” may be a short book, but it’s a
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spent reading this novel, and cannot wait to see what
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lyrics are mediocre and the composition is one of
Trivedi’s weaker efforts.

Music
Reviews

The only disappointing factor in Aisha’s musical
offering is Javed Akthar’s lyrics, especially since Amit
Trivedi’s compositions are known to have innovative
lyrics. Nonetheless, with four youthful, feel-good,
melodious compositions—Gal Mitthi Mitthi, Sham,
Behke Behke and Lehrein—Trivedi offers audiences a
real treat.

Aisha
Original Soundtrack
By Amanda Sodhi
The music of the much awaited
film “Aisha”—an adaptation of
Jane Austin’s “Emma”—starring
Sonam Kapoor and Abhay Deol,
is finally out, and it’s quite an
exciting moment for music fans
as the soundtrack marks the
transition of the much sought after, talented, young
composer Amit Trivedi (“Aamir,” “Dev D,” “Striker,”
“Wake Up Sid,” “Admissions Open,” “Udaan”) into
mainstream cinema projects. Here’s a breakdown of
the songs appearing in the film and in the soundtrack.
“Suno Aisha,” sung by Amit Trivedi, Ash King and
Nakash Aziz is upbeat and breezy. Trivedi’s use of lively trumpets and the saxophone is innovative; however, one does get a bit bored with Javed Akhtar’s simplistic lyrics.
“Gal Mitthi Mitthi” is an outstanding, energetic
Punjabi bhangra track that cleverly uses the shehnai.
Tochi Raina’s rustic and enthusiastic vocals are superb.
Even the lyrics are unique—“Aa sohni tenu chaand ki
main chuddi pehnaavaan.” There is an average remix
version by DJ Lloyd and Discreet.
Sung calmly by Nikhil D’ Souza with backing vocals
by Neuman Pinto and Amit Trivedi, “Sham” (4.44) is a
soothing track rich on melody with nice use of the
acoustic guitar. Akhtar’s lyrics are romantic—“Sham
bhi koi jaise hai nadhi, lehr lehr jaise beh rahi hai,” and
there are plenty of references to “khamoshi,” “fizaayein,” and use of soft phonetics. The addition of
“boom boom paaraa paaraa” chorus backing is catchy.
“Behke Behke” (4.43) immediately grabs your attention with the flamenco guitar followed by Anushka
Manchanda’s Spanish flavored seductive vocals. This is
one colorful, zesty fusion track in which one forgets to
pay attention to the lyrics, which is a good thing as the
lyrics aren’t that special anyway. Backing vocals by
Samrat Kaushal and Raman Mahadevan and rap by
Robert Omulo are decent.
“Lehrein” (4.50) is a melancholic, soft-rock number
which incorporates the viola and violin. It’s sung soulfully by Anusha Mani with backing by Neuman Pinto
and Nikhil D’Souza. Lyrics build upon a darker mood—
“Saare gharondeh reith ke…Lehrein aayi, lehron mein
beh gaye.” The remix version by DJ Lloyd and Discreet
is disappointing.
Anushka Manchanda’s energetic vocals and the electric guitar in “By the Way” (3.31) will remind you of
“Aye Bachchu” from the film “Ghajini.” Neuman Pinto’s
supporting vocals are adequate. However, Akhtar’s
August 2010

Amanda Sodhi is a Bollywood journalist, lyricist,
screenwriter, and PR/marketing practitioner based in
Washington, DC.

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Exhale, bend the
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Exha le, bend the
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the right arm behind
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Reverse the steps back to the base positions with
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August 2010

Saathee 40

saathee.com

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Make words using 4 or more letters. The central letter must
be used in each word. Use all letters for the subject word.
27 words = Excellent; 22 to 26 words = Good; 21 or less
needs to improve. (Solution at bottom of page)

Dadaji’s Story (#2)
A camel can be a pet animal. Once there was a camel,
whose name was Oot. He was a very mean camel and
always found faults with other animals. Oot had a
friend, a little wise bunny rabbit. Oot called bunny and
said, “Look, there are many birds and animals in this
world which are bent, crooked and look ugly. The neck
of a stork is bent. The beak of a parrot is bent. The tail
of a dog is bent. The nails of a tiger are bent. The
horns of a moose are bent and are a burden on its
neck. The trunk of an elephant is bent. The body of a
snake is bent.”
The bunny replied, “Look Oot, all other animals have
only one thing bent. Now look at you, your body is
bent at eighteen different places.”
Should Oot, the camel, find others’ faults?
Moral: Before you find faults with others, you should
look at yourself.
The Favor
(An Aesop’s Fable)
There lived a wolf called Wally in the Himalayan
forests. Wally was very mean and selfish. He thought
only about himself and none of the other animals liked
him.
The rest of the wolf pack also avoided meeting him.
At most, they would say a polite “Hello” and then go
their own way. After all, when they were hungry, Wally
never offered to share his meal. So the wolves avoided him, as they did not want to be impolite.
One day, Wally was very hungry and went out hunting. After roaming around for nearly an hour, he found
a wild hen and greedily tore it to pieces. Suddenly, a
small bone got stuck in his throat.
Wally coughed and coughed and his face went red
August 2010

Tale of Two Sons
(An Aesop’s Fable)
A businessman had two sons. While he showered
the younger son with affection and gifts, he neglected
the older son shamelessly. It was completely baffling
and no one knew why he did it. While the older son
could do nothing right, the younger one could do nothing wrong.
When the boys grew up, they were asked to manage
the father’s business. But there was a world of difference in the management practices the father expected his boys to follow. The elder son was initiated into
the nitty-gritties of the business.
From morning till late in the evening, he was on his
toes, trying to figure out how the business ran. His
father was a hard taskmaster, who pushed him relentlessly so that he would give the business all he got.
Within a few years, he was able to master the ropes
of the business and even expand it.
What about the younger son? He had had the luxury of a higher education. He didn’t have much to do
except have a good time at his father’s expense. After
some years his father felt obliged to hand the younger
son his share of business. He was confident that his
favorite son would be a brilliant success. If the elder
continued on page 70
Word World (Solution): AISLE, APES, APSE, ASCE, CAPE,
CASE, CLAP, CLASP, LACE, LAPS, LAPSE, LEAP, PACE, PAIL, PALE,
PEACE, PEAL, PEASE, PLACE, SAIL, SALE, SCALE, SCAPE, SEAL,
SEPAL, SLAP, SPACE, SPECIAL

Word World

with all that coughing. He tried to get the bone out,
but in vain. He ran up and down groaning and moaning, seeking something to relieve his pain.
Then it became difficult for him to breathe. He
pleaded with all the other animals to help him get the
bone out. “Help! Someone please help me get this
bone out…” said Wally. But no one stepped forward.
He even offered them a reward for removing the
bone. “Oh Pleeeease. I can’t breathe. I would give
anything if you would take it out!” he said. But still no
one helped him - because he was so mean.
Then at last mother crane, Rani, took pity on the
wolf and offered to help him. But she was unsure would Wally really give her anything? All Rani wanted
to ask him was to be a better wolf.
But she decided that she should just do it. So Rani
told Wally to lie on his side and open his jaws as wide
as he could. She put her long neck down his throat
and with a “Pluck” her beak had loosened the bone.
And slowly, she pulled the bone out.
“Ah, ah!! That’s better,” said Wally, taking long deep
breaths. “Will you kindly give me the reward you
promised?” asked Rani.
Wally grinned wide, showing all his teeth. He said,
“Be content. You have put your head inside a wolf’s
mouth and taken it out again safely; that ought to be
reward enough for you.”
Poor Rani was very disappointed, while the other
animals looked at Wally angrily.
But did Wally understand or care?

cast into the Tower of London (which I discovered was
not a “tower” at all, but a complex of buildings covering many acres).

Harnessing the
Power of American English

By Judith L. Bergman M.A. CCC
My recent trip to London in June included a visit to
the Victoria & Albert Museum devoted to fine and
applied art. Our program director recommended that
we not miss the “Cast Courts.” After spending time
with the special Quilt exhibition and looking at the galleries of Sacred Silver and Stained Glass and a dramatically darkened and back-lit Jewelry collection, I
ventured to the “Cast Courts” with no idea of what I
would find. I realized that “cast” has many different
meanings.1
There amidst replications of ornate statues, ornamented doors, altars, pedestals and monuments was
an exact copy of Michelangelo’s “David” from the
Sistine Chapel in Rome. I then realized that I was in
the middle of two huge rooms of very intricate models
which were plaster casts made by pouring a liquid
into a mold also called a cast, by means of a process
which is also called casting. When the substance
hardened, the mold was removed.
In the field of Fine Arts, other words for cast, that
is the container into which liquid is poured to create an
intended shape after the liquid hardens, include:
mold, container and form.
In the world of performing arts including the theatre, movies and television, the cast refers to the performers or actors in the play, movie or show. Used as
a verb, “casting” refers to the process of assigning a
performer to a specific role, as in “He was cast as the
mysterious stranger.” Other words that mean the
same as the “cast” or actors in a play include: troupe,
cast of characters, dramatis personae, troupe, (theatrical) company, assemblage and the supporting
actors may be called the “ensemble.” If the actor really doesn’t fit the part, we might say he or she was
miscast. Some actors are always given the same type
of role and complain about being typecast.
Cast also refers to the visual appearance of something or someone. We noticed “the delicate cast of her
features.” If someone has a downcast look, he may
be depressed. If someone’s eyes are downcast, she
may be shy.
When someone has a broken bone, a cast may be
used to immobilize it while it heals.
There are many other meanings of cast as a verb.
We cast our votes in an election and a fisherman
casts (throws) his fishing line into the water. In old
England, individuals whose views were not “politically
correct” or who fell out of favor with the King might be
August 2010

If someone rejects or dismisses an idea, he is said
to cast it from his mind. To direct your attention or
glance, someone might suggest that you “cast your
eye on that lovely painting.” If you agree with a particular group or faction you might say, “I cast my lot
with that party.”
In the world of wizardry popularized by the Harry
Potter books and movies, the “good” and “evil” characters could cast spells using a variety of wands and
incantations.
In the world of weather and communication we
have forecasts, broadcasts and podcasts, whose
meanings contain the core ideas of prediction or sending forth information to a wide audience. Likewise, the
setting sun might cause an object to cast a long
shadow.
Old clothes and other discarded household items
used to be called castoff but now may be recycled at
a local reuse center.
An individual who is searching for a reason to justify a decision may say, “I am casting around for a
good reason (or excuse) to take this trip.
Suggestions to increase your word power this
month: Try composing your own sentence for each
example of the way “cast” is used in our article, both
as a verb and as a noun.
References:
1
http://www.idioms.thefreedictionary.com/home
Judith L. Bergman M.A CCC is the
director of Triangle Speech Services specializing in foreign accent modification.
Contact: jlbergman@mindspring.com or
919-489-5464
www.trianglespeech.com

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Auroville, Bhubaneshwar and Chandigarh
A sage once wrote a verse:
The river Rhine, it is well known,
Doth wash your city of Cologne,
But tell me nymphs, what power Divine,
Shall henceforth wash the river Rhine?

A city faces, among other problems, the issues of
sanitation and water supply. Planned cities in particular,
are those in which various stakeholders’ needs are satisfied, be they esthetics or functionality or both.
Indians have a head start because the ancient cities
of Harappa and Mohenjo Daro were planned cities. In
more recent times we take pride in three cities in particular—-Auroville, Bhubaneshwar and Chandigarh.
Auroville has a unique, central Matri Mandir which is
a delightful structure in which sunlight streams in from
the top and sides to create a pleasing ambience to
meditate and mull things over. Besides this, structured
roads and sectors are designed to facilitate living both
at present and in the future. Auroville was designed by
the ashramites of Aurobindo ashram and especially by
the Mother.
Bhubaneshwar is called the City of Temples. About
600 ancient and modern temples dot the landscape,
while wide roads and many well-designed institutions
make life worth living. There are major Indian and foreign companies like Satyam, Infosys and Nethawk
(Finnish). Contemporary Bhubaneshwar was designed
in 1946 by the German architect Otto Konigsberger.
Chandigarh is the capital of two Indian States,
Haryana and Punjab, and boasts a University, Punjab
University, which I had the honor of visiting in 1972
when I attended a one-month summer school in
Physics during my BSc, having won the NSTS or
National Science Talent Search Scholarship of the
NCERT, or National Council of Educational Research and
Training, under UGC, or University Grants Commission.
Chandigarh was designed by three architects: The
French-Swiss architect Le Corbusier, the American
architect-planner Albert Mayer and the Polish architect
Matthew Nowicki.
As people migrate from villages to cities, the need
for planned cities increases. But we must also improve
our rural infrastructure and living conditions because
obviously everyone cannot live in cities.
Zoning of cities, which I had first-hand experience of
as a Century 21 real estate agent, does help to reduce
unwanted effects such as bad residential conditions,
while pedestrian-only city centers can reduce clutter
and help to bring down noise and other pollution.
Ultimately, planned cities must grow to optimize a
number of different factors, including the modern concept of sustainability. They must draw on the surrounding countryside without encroaching on it in an undesirable fashion. We owe it to future generations to plan

August 2010

Arms and the Man
I recently watched the fascinating movie, “Lord of
War,” on Hulu, starring Nicholas Cage as the UkrainianAmerican gun runner Olarov. Private gun dealers to this
day ply a lucrative “trade” second only to national arms
suppliers which, in decreasing order of magnitude, are
: US, UK, Russia, France and China.
In the movie, Olarov repeatedly justifies his “profession” by saying, successively, that his arms were used
by people for self-defense, that if he stopped supplying
arms, someone else would quickly take his place, that
governments sometimes turned a blind-eye to his operations and indeed, encouraged him, covertly or overtly,
to step in when their hands were tied.
Payment for the arms was made in various ways.
Cash was preferred by the arms dealer but was not
always preferred. Diamonds, drugs and even timber
were sometimes used to pay for the arms. The cold war
of the sixties through eighties saw the largest arms
build-up in history, and when the cold war ended a
huge stockpile of Soviet arms appeared on the market.
People like Olarov profited by becoming middle-men
to supply arms to conflict-ridden regions like Liberia,
Monrovia and Sierra Leone. It was further shown how
American soldiers often left behind their arms after
fighting a war, since it was cheaper to buy new arms
than to transport the old ones back to America. These
abandoned munitions were also a great source of
wealth for people like Olarov.
The question arises as to the moral propriety of gunrunning. Many governments in the world at present are
not democracies. Of those that are, very few have free
and fair elections. Thus the strong arm of governments,
be they so-called democracies or one-man dictatorships
or military juntas, is used to keep people terrorized and
in-check.
It’s a moot point whether arms given to freedomfighters solve any problem or not. In the movie,
Olarov’s rival, a seasoned gun-runner, admits to supplying both Iraq and Iran with arms during their brutal
war in the mid-eighties. He says he normally “takes
sides” but in this particular conflict, hoped that neither
side won.
Indeed, the longer that a war rages, the more
money these gun-runners stand to make and, in the
same vein, peace is anathema to them.
When Olarov’s brother is killed and his wife deserts
him, he finds himself in custody with a variety of
charges against him. But he confidently asserts to his
captor, the law-enforcer Valentine, that he would soon
be released—-and indeed, this does happen.
Apparently, he had friends in high places. As the
saying goes, killing one person is murder but aiding in
the massacre of thousands of innocent people is war, or
patriotism, or any one of the many euphemisms that
are applied to present-day barbarism.

The Day the Music Died
Taliban inmates assert control over Pakistan’s jails,
shut down music classes.
By Aamir Latif — GlobalPost.com

KARACHI, Pakistan — Sardar Khan has
been languishing for years in Karachi’s central prison. A crowded and dangerous place,
the only happiness he ever felt was in the
guitar he was learning to play — part of a
music course that had been the first of its
kind in Pakistan’s broken prison system.
Khan, 32, is three years into a sevenyear sentence for armed robbery. Wearied
by the harsh prison life, he jumped at the
chance to learn the guitar, part of a program the Pakistani government started
ten months ago to keep inmates out
of trouble.
But just three months into the
class, about 200 Taliban detainees
newly transferred to Khan’s wing,
declared the course haram, or sinful,
and demanded he and everyone
else put down their instruments.
“First they warned us of dire
consequences if we continued
to attend the music classes,”
said Khan, who was later
severely beaten by the Taliban
militants for refusing to give up
the guitar. “They said it is haram for a
Muslim to hear or sing music.”
Khan, his newfound optimism shattered, said that
learning to play music had brought a significant and positive change to his life, both mentally and physically.
“This was like fresh air for me and my colleagues
who did not want to be involved in prison fights or
future criminal plans,” he said, adding that the music
helped him to quit smoking as well. “It really brought a
difference to the life of prison.”
The classes were organized on the recommendation
of a Jail Reforms Committee set up by the government
to find ways of encouraging prisoners, especially
younger prisoners, to stay away from religious extremism and other criminal activity.
Similar classes were planned for other jails in the
country as well, including the northwestern province of
Khyber Pakhtunkhuwa, which borders war-wracked
Afghanistan and the heartland of militancy.
But those too were suspended following pressure
from the thousands of Taliban inmates that now crowd
prisons throughout Pakistan.
The Karachi jail hired a music teacher to introduce a
mixture of local and Western instruments to the first
batch of prisoners last year. But the Taliban quickly ransacked the class and destroyed all the guitars, keyboards, sitars and other instruments.
Fearing for his safety, the teacher left the job soon
after the attack.
“When we did not listen to their threats and continued to attend classes, they beat us up and destroyed
August 2010

the instruments before the security staff arrived to save
us,” said Sabir Ali, 26, who had cuts and bruises across
his face. Ali is in prison for larceny. “We lodged complaints against this vandalism but the jail authorities
appeared to be helpless.”
Taliban inmates have successfully asserted their
authority over many prisons in Pakistan, turning some
jails into de-facto Taliban strongholds. Jail authorities
said they fear that mingling the Taliban with other prisoners could be a major security risk as the former are
sure to influence the latter by preaching their rigid ideology.
“There should be a separate jail for such prisoners,”
said Nusrat Mangan, warden for Karachi central prison,
one of the largest prisons in Pakistan. “If we keep
them together with common prisoners, it will be troublesome in many ways.”
Although Mangan said the Taliban inmates at
Karachi are theoretically separated from other
inmates, the prison is so overcrowded it is nearly
impossible to enforce the Taliban’s isolation. Karachi
prison houses 3,800 people, well over its capacity of
1,800.
Many Taliban prisoners are able to operate from
their cells freely, officials and inmates said. Omar
Saeed Sheikh, a militant with close links to the Taliban
who was sentenced to death for the kidnapping and
murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in
2002, was caught by Pakistani intelligence authorities
devising a campaign from his cell on death row to
bring about tension between Pakistan and India using
a smuggled mobile phone.
Intelligence officials, in fact, said poor security and
corruption within the prison system allows jailed
Taliban militants the freedom to be fully in touch with
their aides on the outside. Authorities occasionally
launch sweeps to confiscate mobile phones but to get
a new one is not difficult for a prisoner with a few thousand rupees to spend.
Mangan said the scrapped music program is just
one example of the kind of influence the Taliban wields
inside Pakistan’s prison system.
“It was the first-ever music learning program introduced in a prison in Pakistan. It really went well for
four or five months and we were expecting more and
more enrollment,” he said. “It was not only the violence that crippled our plans but the Taliban prisoners
destroyed almost all the musical instruments, which
were donated by some philanthropists.”
There is no money to buy new instruments, he said,
and finding a donor can be a lengthy process.
“The government is fully supporting us in arranging
such programs but there is no allocation of funds,” he
said.
Still, Mangan has no intention of giving up and
plans to resume the classes as soon as he can find a
new set of instruments.
The warden at the provincial prison in Sindh,
Muzaffer Shujra, said he also planned to resume music
classes in August.
“We will not bow to the extremists,” he said.
“Extremists will not be allowed to establish a state
within a state. Whoever wants to learn music, he will
have the freedom to do that.”

Saathee 48

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By Anjana Agarwal
Coconut Oil: A Look at the Facts
Research findings - Research done in the 1960s and
1970s supposedly showed that coconut oil is possibly
not as dangerous for us as we might expect, considering its high amount of saturated fat (about 90 percent
of the total fat in coconut oil is saturated). Islanders of
Tokelau and Pukapuka and also South Indians, ate a
diet that consisted of 35 – 60 percent fat, but still had
virtually no atherosclerosis, heart disease, colon cancer, digestive issues, weight problems, or kidney disease. Although keep in mind that they often consumed
a diet that was healthful overall—plenty of fresh fruits
and vegetables, a large amount of fish, and very little
processed food. They also got far more physical activity than most Americans do today. It is likely that their
decreased risk of disease was in spite of their intake of
coconut, rather than because of their intake. Research
completed at the Heart Research Institute in Australia
showed that people who were fed meals prepared with
coconut oil had a significantly reduced blood flow after
three hours, and that their high-density lipoprotein
(HDL) cholesterol’s anti-inflammatory properties
decreased after consumption of the coconut oil-containing meal.

W e do

Thyroid function- Contrary to advertisements on the
Internet, no proof exists to show that coconut oil can
improve thyroid function. In fact, some proof shows
that it actually can worsen preexisting hypothyroidism.
Cholesterol levels - Studies repeatedly have shown
that hydrogenated oils increase cholesterol levels. This
holds true for hydrogenated coconut oil, as well.

Coconut oil vs. other oils- Just like any other fat,
you should use coconut oil only occasionally and in
moderation. No clear-cut, unflawed studies prove that
coconut oil is any more healthful than other oils. In
fact, it possibly is less healthy than oils such as canola,
sesame, walnut, olive, and flaxseed.
Calories and fat - Coconut oil contains the same
amount of calories per ounce as any other kind of oil.
All fat contains 9 calories/gram (g), regardless of the
source. One tablespoon of coconut oil contains 117
calories, 14 g fat, and 12 g saturated fat.
For individual diet counseling see a registered dietitian.
Anjana Agarwal, MS, RD, LDN, CNSD, CDE
Registered Dietitian
Phone: 704-890-3162
Carolina Nutrition (Adult & Pediatric)
www.carolinanutrition.com
August 2010

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Saathee 50

Immigration
Matters
USCIS Naturalizes 3,800 New Citizens During
Fourth of July Celebrations
WASHINGTON — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS) commemorated America’s 234th
birthday by naturalizing more than 3,800 citizenship
candidates in approximately 55 special ceremonies
held across the United States and abroad. Nine of
these ceremonies are specifically for members of
the U.S. armed forces and military spouses. This
year’s ceremonies celebrated the theme, “A Spirit of
Independence.”
“Independence Day reminds us all what it means
to be an American,” said USCIS Director Alejandro
Mayorkas. “Today let us celebrate our newest
Americans who, in taking the Oath of Allegiance and
becoming United States citizens, will truly cherish
this right, and will renew our highest aspirations to
be the best that we can be as a nation of immigrants.”
This year, USCIS’s weeklong celebration of citizenship was highlighted by various special events,
including a ceremony on July 1 at Independence Hall
in Philadelphia, Pa., where 25 candidates took the
Oath of Allegiance only steps from the location
where the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776. On July 2, a special ceremony was held
aboard the USS Midway in San Diego, Calif. for
approximately 300 military candidates who pledged
to protect our nation’s independence even before
becoming American citizens.
Special ceremonies were also held at Ellis Island,
N.Y., for approximately 150 candidates; the Seattle
Center, Wash., where approximately 500 candidates
participated in Seattle’s 26th Annual Independence
Day Naturalization Ceremony; and the John F.
Kennedy Space Center near Orlando, Fla. where
approximately 100 candidates became U.S. citizens.
Also during this week’s Independence Day celebrations, more than 500 service members took the
Oath of Allegiance at nine all-military ceremonies,
including in Baghdad, Iraq; Seoul, Korea; Frankfurt,
Germany; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; Camp Lejeune,
N.C.; and Fort Sill, Okla.
For more information on USCIS and its programs,
visit www.uscis.gov or view our blog, The Beacon,
available at http://blog.uscis.gov.

2010, an important milestone for a program that
offers immigration protection to victims of crime
while also strengthening law enforcement efforts to
combat those crimes. This marks the first time that
USCIS, through extensive outreach and collaboration, has reached the statutory maximum of 10,000
U visas per fiscal year since it began issuing U visas
in 2008.
“Through the U visa, USCIS is able to provide
crime victims with critical immigration protection,
allowing law enforcement officials to protect victims
and bring the perpetrators of crimes to justice,” said
USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas. “Through our
partnership with both law enforcement and service
providers, and through the dedicated work of our
staff, we were able to reach – and provide this vital
benefit to – thousands of deserving individuals.”
USCIS will resume issuing U visas on October 1,
2010, the first day of fiscal year 2011. Until then,
USCIS will continue to accept new petitions for U
visas and will place conditionally approved petitioners on a waiting list. Conditionally approved petitioners and qualifying family members will be able
to legally remain in the United States and request
work authorization. This protection also applies to
conditionally approved petitioners or any qualifying
family members who are in removal proceedings or
have a final order of removal.
The U visa was created in the Victims of
Trafficking and Violence Protection Act, legislation
intended to strengthen the ability of law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute cases of
domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and other crimes while, at the same time, offering protection to victims of such crimes. U visas are
set aside for victims who have suffered substantial
mental or physical abuse as a result of the criminal
activity and are willing to help law enforcement
authorities in the investigation or prosecution of the
crime. In fiscal year 2009, USCIS approved approximately 6,000 U visa petitions for victims of crime.
For additional information about the U visa waiting
list, see the accompanying Questions & Answers.
For more information about the U visa, see the
Victims of Criminal Activity Web page at
www.uscis.gov.

USCIS Reaches Milestone: 10,000 U Visas
Approved in Fiscal Year 2010
WASHINGTON – U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS) recently announced it has
approved 10,000 petitions for U nonimmigrant status (also referred to as the “U visa”) in fiscal year
August 2010

(Note —- Mumbai prices quoted in U.S. dollars were calculated using the above exchange rate and the metric factor
of 28.6 grams equals 1 ounce. Generally speaking, there are
slight variances in prices of precious metals between India
& U.S.A. due to market conditions / exchange rates).

The Sensex spent the initial part of July 2010 in the
mid 17000s and on July 14, 2010 the index crossed
above 18,000 in intra-day trading but it could not hold
there. The index closed out the trading week of
7/16/2010 at 17,955 and it appears that another
attempt to reclaim 18,000 is a certainty - the U.S.
Dollar strengthened against the Indian Rupee, reaching 47.50 to the dollar by 7/16/2010. The central and
state governments are expected to spend between Rs.
20,000-30,000 Crore over the next several years in
order to make government services more readily
available and accessible to the general population via
Information Technology.
The target date for completion of these endeavors
is 2014 and Nearly Rs 10,000 crore has already been
spent on creating “digital versions” of government
records and placing them online. Any citizen would be
able to visit the Internet and utilize various services
such as passport issuance/renewal, income tax payments, pensions, land/title records, registration of
births, etc. Thus far, 23 out of the 31 states in India
have completed their state-wide network (SWAN) and
the remaining states are expected to complete their
centralized databases by the end of 2011 - among the
states that are behind schedule are Rajasthan,
Karnataka and some of the North Eastern states.
However, it is notable and commendable that
Maharashtra is one of the few states to have completely “digitized” its land records and placed them on
the state website.
The major currencies of the world have unique
symbols: the U.S. Dollar (and many other ‘Dollars’
around the world) use $. The British Pound is represented by £, the Euro is represented by € and the
Japanese Yen is denoted using ¥. It has been more
than a full year since the Government of India

August 2010

announced a competition for designing a symbol for
the Rupee. References to the Indian Rupee have
always been made by ‘INR’ or ‘Rs.’ Now India finally
has a unique design and symbol for its currency. On
7/15/2010, the Union cabinet on Thursday approved a
design which is a combination of the Roman ‘R’ without the vertical stroke and the Devnagri letter ‘ra’. The
winning design was put together by Bombay
IIT postgraduate D. Udaya Kumar, who had
the opportunity to meet finance minister
Pranab Mukherjee after the cabinet decision
was announced. It will take up to six months
for the symbol to be incorporated in commerce within India, and between 18-24 months for
International transactions. At this time, the government is not planning to utilize the symbol on currency
notes and in addition, most of the major currency
symbols mentioned can be generated on keyboards
using the ALT key plus four digits - however, it will be
some time before the Rupee symbol can be generated
because the appropriate coding, programming, etc.
still has to be carried out.
During mid-July 2010, the Karachi KSE-100 index
had a strong rebound from the June 2010 sell-off. The
index had reached into the 10,600s during April 2010
and subsequently stepped back into the 9200s by June
2010. However, the market tone improved notably
and the KSE-100 recaptured the 10,000 level in the
week ending 7/16/2010, settling at 10,153. The
Pakistani Rupee remained fairly stable against the U.S.
Dollar, trading in a range of 84.50-85.50.
The Pakistani business community wants to
enhance business relations with Saudi Arabia and further develop trade between the two countries. The
Pakistani consulate recently visited Dr. Hani Abu Rass,
who is the new secretary general of the Jeddah
Chamber of Commerce and Industry Loading. A number of issues were discussed and reviewed regarding
economics, investment and trade in addition to methods in order to increase the business ties between
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia over the next several
months.
A delegation of Saudi businesspeople who are
involved in agriculture were also invited to Pakistan
and after the observance of Ramadan, a delegation
from the Pakistan Chamber of Commerce representing
virtually all sectors of business in Pakistan will visit
Saudi Arabia to discuss business and explore potential
investments for the development and enhancement of
the relationship between our countries. The delegation
will represent all sectors of business in Pakistan,”
Ahmed explained. According to a report from Jeddah,
Saudi Arabia there are currently 24 companies working in Pakistan-Saudi joint ventures of which 11 are
industrial and 13 non-industrial. The total amount
invested in these companies is 3.33 billion Saudi Riyals
(US $880 million) of which 70.9 percent is provided by
Saudi businessmen, 8.19 percent by Pakistani businessmen with the remaining 20.91 percent invested by
other partners.
The U.S. equity markets have had a roller-coaster
ride during June and July 2010 in which the Dow lost
the 10,000 level twice and subsequently managed to

Can Social Media Help You Lose Weight?
In addition to the positive impact Social Media has
had on business, Social Media can actually help keep
you fit and healthy.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one-third of American adults are overweight and another one-third are obese. Think about
that: two-thirds of the adults in America are unhealthy
due to the fact that their weight exceeds a healthy
limit. When an affliction reaches these types of numbers, it’s called an epidemic. We’re eating too much,
sitting around a computer too much, and living overall sedentary lifestyles.

• The professional site LinkedIn, has groups that you
can join devoted to exercise and working out. In
these discussions, members will often include links
to websites that have been helpful in their experiences. Some provide information such as the benefits of low or high impact aerobics, where to order
equipment that has received the best reviews, how
to heal various sports related injuries, motivational
tips, and more.
Starting a program of health and fitness is easier to
do with the support of family and friends. But for
those times when immediate help isn’t available or
when privacy about a weight program is more important than discussing it with family members is, there
are plenty of Social Media communities that can make
a huge difference in the success of stepping out of the
statistic that two-thirds of Americans sit in.

Taking the first step in changing lifestyles such as
these is difficult when where to begin is unclear. Social
Media offers not only a jumping off point but an entire
universe of communities to join for maintenance of a
healthy way to live. There are literally hundreds of
places on Facebook alone that can serve as a starting
point. My Twitter stream usually has at least four
tweets every fifteen minutes devoted to health and fitness. Take a look at a small sampling of Social Media’s
road to health:
• Facebook has pages that are devoted to exchanging
ideas, offering tips, demonstrating yoga and weight
lifting techniques, and providing moral support.
When the temptations of special events and holidays
come around, there are forums and walls that give
immediate comfort and encouragement; someone is
always on Facebook which means you’re never
alone. Plus, the benefit of Facebook is that many
pages offer links to websites with even more information for diet and exercise.

• Youtube is a great place to professionally produced
as well as amateur videos of individuals sharing their
entire transformation experience. They’ll show you
their before, during and after physical appearance
as they record and broadcast their diet and workout
regime.

• iPhones, Blackberrys, and other
smart phones have programs that
can be downloaded to help you
keep track of your caloric, fat, and
carbohydrate intake throughout
the day. You can also find applications (or simply look up) the nutritional value of various foods while
you’re dining out if the place that is
serving you does not have it available. Staying on track of your diet
and reaching daily targets when
eating out has never been easier.

August 2010

Saathee 58

Wendy D. Wells

is President of WD Wells Writing and
Editing, LLC. She is a Charlotte, NC based,
Telecommuting Copywriter,
Professional Blogger and Editor.
wwells@wendywellswrites.com

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Marketing
Turnaround

•

•

By Gail Martin
Using LinkedIn (carefully) for marketing
LinkedIn can be a powerful
marketing tool, but because
its culture is very different
from other social media sites,
it’s important to respect the
rules and tread lightly. The
best analogy would be successful in-person networking.
You would never barge into
someone’s desk and raid their
address book or Blackberry.
Ethical networkers also don’t
pretend to be referred by someone who hasn’t given
permission to use them as a referral. Apply that same
networking etiquette on LinkedIn, and you’ll be on
your way to success.

•
•

help you gather statistics for reports and presentations.
Join groups and participate to add value. Virtual
chapters of professional, industry and alumni associations where you’re already a member are especially valuable.
Reconnect with mentors, colleagues, and subordinates whom you’d lost track of from prior companies. (The company and industry search functions
are very helpful for this.) You expand your active
network with people you already know.
Start a group if your key membership organizations
aren’t represented. If you remain active as a group
leader, it can be a great visibility tool.
Let your contacts know what kinds of new projects
you’re interested in, so they know if you’re open to
be approached.

Excerpted from 30 Days to Social Media Success, by
Gail Martin, new from Career Press in September,
2010.
Gail Z. Martin

• Create a profile that shows you and your experience
at its best and most credible.
• Use your Update box to let your contacts know
about speaking engagements, new projects, or jobrelated news.
• Use the My Travel app to share where you’ll be traveling if it’s important to you to make the best use of
your travel time by fitting in extra lunches, coffee
and dinner with out-of-town contacts when you visit
the area.
• Use the Events app to invite your connections and
increase your event visibility.
• Be generous in giving (truthful) recommendations,
and ask your contacts to write recommendations for
you. Give first, and others will reciprocate.
• Use caution in deciding who to add and whose invitations to accept so you protect the integrity of your
connections.
• Use the “six degrees of separation” indicator to ask
your connections to refer you to others in their networks.
• Use the Wordpress, Tweets and BlogLink apps to
have your blog, podcasts, videos and Tweets automatically update your LinkedIn page to keep it fresh.
• Fill out your profile completely, and use a good,
recent, professional photo.
• Offer to give referrals to your contacts, and introduce people you think might benefit from the connection.
• Use polls to get snapshots of what your customers
and prospects think about key issues. Polls can also
August 2010

529 college fund are tax-free to the extent used for
qualified higher education expenses such as college
tuition fees, books, supplies, equipment, and special
needs services. Distribution for a purpose other than
qualified education is taxed to the one receiving the
distribution. In addition, a 10 percent penalty must be
imposed on the taxable portion of the distribution.

Business
Matters

By Krutika Chheda

Back-to-School – Tax Savings with a 529 Plan
Summer is almost over and as August winds down
parents and kids prepare for going back to school. And
with the back-to-school season comes the heavy
expenses of college tuition, fees and school supplies.
Parents always wonder about the cost of their children’s college education and how they will pay for it.
Higher education in the US is not only very competitive, but also very expensive. Based on a 2009 survey
for the trends in college pricing, the average cost for
undergraduate college tuition, fee and boarding was
about $15,300 per year for 4-year public in-state college and $35,700 per year for 4-year private college.
Not all of the money needs to come from the parents
or students. Many full time students manage to get
financial aid in the form of grants, scholarships and tax
benefits on average up to $14,400 per year in a private college and $5,400 per year in a public college.
Saving for children’s education requires a long term
plan. And like saving for retirement, the earlier one
begins to plan the better! Use this calculator on K&M
Accounting and Tax Services website to help develop
and fine tune your education savings plan:
http://kmtaxservices.com/calc-section.php
529 College Savings Plan
One of the most popular vehicles for college savings
is the 529 Plan. Most states have a 529 program allowing parents to save for future higher education with tax
benefits. Parents can make regular contributions to the
529 account. Each state has different rules on the
nature of the account and beneficiaries, however in
general the account owner (contributor to the fund)
controls the funds and the beneficiary (student) gets
to use the funds for qualified higher education. States
also vary in the limits to the extent of the annual contributions and tax deductions allowed on the state
income tax return. Here’s a site that provides a list of
different state rules: www.collegesavings.org

State Income Tax Benefits
Several states including North Carolina offer tax
deductions for 529 contributions. North Carolina residents who contribute to a North Carolina 529 Plan
receive a state income tax deduction of up to $2,500
per contributor if filing single and $5,000 if married filing jointly. Considering that the top income tax rate in
North Carolina is 7.75 percent, a full $5000 contribution can save a taxpayer up to $387.5 at tax time.
Given the current low deposit rates offered by banks,
a 7.75 percent upfront return in the very first year is
pretty good! Add to it the federal tax benefit on the
future gains in the account and you may have as much
as 15 percent or more in tax savings depending on
your individual tax situation. Over a period of time this
can add up to a substantially large sum of money. A little tax planning can take your savings much further.
Gift and Estate Tax Benefits
Friends and family members can also help contribute
to your child’s education by way of gifts. They can contribute up to $13,000 annually to be excluded from gift
tax. The 529 programs can also be an attractive estate
planning move for wealthy grandparents planning to
pass on their wealth to grandchildren. There are no
income limits, and the account owner giving up to
$65,000 avoids gift tax and estate tax by living 5 years
after the gift. Gift and Estate tax is a complex subject
and requires extensive tax planning. For grandparents
that invest the time in the planning process, this is a
great way to leave behind a legacy of higher education
for the next generation while saving on the heavy burden of taxes.
Here is a link for more details on the estate tax planning: kmtaxservices.com/estateplan.php
Keep in mind this column and the articles published here are
only meant to provide you with high level information about
tax and business matters and in no way should you consider
this as tax advice. Consult your tax and legal advisors regarding your individual tax and business situation.

This Article provides only an overview to the complex Tax
Laws. It is not exhaustive nor a substitute for Independent
Tax Benefits of a 529 College Savings Plan
Tax Advice provided by a Tax Accountant or a Tax Attorney
There are multiple ways one can derive tax benefits familiar with your case.

from the 529 college savings plan. Although contributions made by the account owner are not deductible
for federal income tax purposes, earnings on contributions grow tax-free in the program. For example if your
initial investment of $5000 in the 529 plan grows over
time to $20,000, you will not have to pay any federal
income tax on the $15,000 in gains when you withdraw the money to pay for qualified higher education.
This is a great benefit as compared to the capital gains
tax or marginal individual tax rate you would have to
pay on the $15,000 in gains. Distributions from the
August 2010

Be Prepared
Job interviews can be filled with anxiety if you are not
prepared for the questions and the answers. Preparing
for your job interview is a lot more than updating your
resume and getting a haircut. Doing your homework is
critical to your success. In the current competitive job
market, no amount of research is too extreme, says Jodi
Berkshire, assistant director of Career Services at The
Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. No one can anticipate
every question an employer might ask, but you should
be prepared to gracefully handle the most commonly
asked questions. To prepare for the job interview,
Berkshire says here are a few questions you should be
expecting:
1. “Tell me about yourself.” Don’t mistake this one for
an easy question. If you don’t carefully prepare your
answer prior to the interview, it will show. The interviewer is not interested in where and when you were
born, your childhood, your family or your hobbies. Craft
a short response that gives a thumbnail sketch of you
professionally. This is a great place to insert some of your
sterling qualities and accomplishments and make sure
that they dovetail with the requirements of the position
for which you are interviewing. Be positive and enthusiastic and whatever you do, don’t ramble.
2. “What do you know about our company?” “How
did you hear about us?” Or, “Why do you want to
work for us?” These are all variations on the same
theme. The real question is: Did you do your homework?
Any interviewer will expect that you have researched the
company. That means that you should know their website inside and out. Have you Googled the company?
Have you read any recent articles about them? If the
only information you have to offer is what any person off
the street who isn’t applying for the position knows, it
shows that you don’t care enough and you’re not very
thorough.
3. “What are your strengths?” “Why should we
hire you?” You can count on this question cropping up
at some point during the interview. Here’s a simple way
to prepare. Take a sheet of paper and fold it in half vertically. On one side list all the specific technical qualities
that you possess. Look at the job description and consider each skill that is mentioned. For example, if the job
description mentions software skills that are required
and you have those skills, go ahead and list them. In the
other column, list the personal qualities that you bring to
the job. These could be things like punctuality, reliability,
enthusiasm, work ethic, professionalism, etc. Again, take
another look at the job description and anticipate what
qualities that hiring manager would be looking for. Here
is your chance to sell yourself. Don’t be afraid to let them
know what a great addition you’d be to their company.
August 2010

4. “What is your greatest weakness?” “How have
you overcome it?” Be careful with this one. It is a
potential minefield. This is not the time to bare your soul
and reveal your deepest insecurities. Whatever you do,
don’t say you procrastinate, have trouble meeting deadlines, arrive late or that you don’t get along well with others. You have two good choices here. You can either
choose a weakness that is really a strength to an employer (you become so engrossed in your work that you find
it hard to take a break until the project is completed), or
choose something that you had to master at the beginning of your career that would be an expected learning
curve for any entry-level recent college grad (you didn’t
really grasp project management in your first job and you
had to make a deliberate effort to learn about time lines
and time management.). If you choose the second example, make sure that you stress how your performance
increased once you mastered the missing skill.
5. “What would your past employer tell me about
you?” Again, tread carefully. Do not, under any circumstances, say anything negative about any past employer.
Settle on a few of your strongest qualities and concentrate on those that reflect your strong work ethic and
professionalism. Here is another perfect opportunity to
sell yourself, but once again, be careful not to ramble.
6. “Why did you leave your last position?” If you left
because you relocated or were offered a better position,
you can breathe a sigh of relief. But what if you were terminated by the company? It’s not the end of the world;
it happens to everyone at some point in their career.
Again, do not say anything bad about your last employer. If your position was eliminated due to budget cuts,
say so and make it clear that you have nothing but fond
memories and good feelings about the company. If you
were let go because of something you did, try to take
responsibility while making it clear that you would handle things differently today and that you learned a valuable lesson. Keep it short and sweet and don’t be tempted to go into long, complicated explanations.
7. “What kind of salary are you looking for?” You
can be assured that the interviewer knows what they are
willing to pay. Again, there is no substitute for doing your
homework. You should research what similar positions
are worth in your area. Be careful to compare apples to
apples on this one. A copywriter in New York can expect
a higher salary than one in Detroit. Also look closely at
the amount of experience and the skills required. A recent
college graduate will not command the same salary as
someone with five to 10 years of experience. You might
say something like, “My research tells me that graphic
designers in this area are generally earning (average
salary range). How does that fit with what your company
is offering?” And make sure that you can justify why you
should command that salary range you are expecting.
Once you’ve done your research, practiced answers to
commonly asked questions and become comfortable
with the idea of selling yourself, remember to smile. In
most interview situations, the candidate who appears to
be relaxed, confident (not arrogant) and enthusiastic,
usually has the best chance of being hired.

In a country where marriage is widely considered
sacred, the traditional is bumping up against the modern. More urban Indian couples are using state-of the
art forensics to settle marital tiffs.
Whether it’s determining a spouse’s loyalty or resolving the paternity of a child, even baring all before the
nuptials, lie detectors, or polygraphs, and paternity
tests are coming in handy.
Such intrusive use of forensics seems a bold step for
India, where arranged marriages and self-designed
ones are considered sacrosanct life rituals, and rarely
tampered with.
But, daring couples feel that venting their suspicions
and working toward setting them to rest with the use
of forensics is a better option than a lifelong dysfunctional relationship, said Kumaraswamy Thangaraj, scientist at Hyderabad’s Center for Cellular and Molecular
Biology — a government-run center that offers a DNA
profiling service.
A Chennai-based man’s suspicions about the paternity of his second child were found to be baseless after
a DNA test at the center, ending years of friction with
his wife. A traditional family from Mumbai asked their
young daughter-in-law to go through a polygraph after
she accused the father-in-law of making overtures
toward her. Both these cases resulted in a happy endings, though it is not always so.
Regardless of outcome though, couples are flocking
to forensics labs, both private and government-run, to
solve their marital tiffs. Most are lured by the relatively low cost of the tests, as well as the guarantee of a
quick and confidential resolution.
The number of those seeking lie-detector tests to
resolve marital disputes at the privately run Truth Labs
has doubled from the initial 20 cases a year when it
was set up in 2007.
Initially, Truth Labs was set up to deal mainly with
white-collar crimes such as forgery, embezzlement,
cheating and cyber fraud. Now, based on demand,
Truth Labs has expanded from its headquarters in
Hyderabad to New Delhi and Chennai in less than two
years, and will launch its operations in Bangalore soon.
A major contributing factor to the increased popularity of forensics in settling marital disputes is the overburdened legal system. Were a married couple to
approach the court, or go to the police for that matter,
with a complaint, there is no assurance of a quick or
competent solution. India’s legal system is clogged
and resolutions are sometimes a generation away.
Police complaints, on the other hand, often result in
long-winded, inept investigations.
“Studies show that over 80 percent of Indians do not
want to go to the police or the court; we offer an inexpensive, scientific alternative,” said Gandhi Kaza,
founder of Truth Labs.
Another contributing factor to the spike in forensics
being used to settle husband-wife tiffs is its affordability. Truth Labs charges 5,000 rupees (a little over
$100) for a polygraph and the results are available in
August 2010

less than a week. The government’s Center for Cellular
and Molecular Biology charges 3,800 rupees (about
$80) for DNA profiling. The services are within reach of
India’s middle class.
Dozens of cases arrive at the Center for Cellular and
Molecular Biology, as well as several other government-run labs, for DNA profiling. But the lab stringently insists on providing paternity tests only if the
husband and wife give full consent and arrive with the
child to provide blood for the profiling. The lab rejects
hair and other material for the test.
“On the one hand, people are more aware that science can help tell the truth,” said Thangaraj, explaining the uptick in DNA profiling in paternity dispute
cases. “On the other, you could say that people are losing trust in relationships.”

Children’s Corner
continued from page 42
son could be a successful businessman without the
benefit of higher education, surely the younger one,
who was more gifted, would do much better.
Within a few years, the results of his decision
became evident. Uninterested in business, the
younger son kept up his spending spree and thus went
bankrupt.
But, the elder son’s far smaller share of business had
expanded and he had proved himself to be a good
decision maker.
Ashamed at the turn of events the father met the
elder son and ranted against the younger one.
“What a scoundrel that boy has turned out to be. I
gave him everything he wanted, and he ruined it all!
How could I have possibly known that he would turn
out like this? A pleasure-loving, incompetent wastrel,”
he wailed.
The elder son, who was listening to all this quietly,
suddenly announced his plan to set up an independent
venture. “I want to strike out on my own,” he said.
“Why?” asked the dumbfounded father who was
hoping to start afresh with the elder son at the helm of
affairs.
“I blame one person for the way my brother has
turned out, and it’s not him. You can’t blame children
for the faults of their parents, can you?” asked the
elder son. And then he left his father’s house.

The
Cricket Forum
by Rajesh Ganatra
Hello Cricket Fans! There’s a lot happening in the world
of Cricket these days so check out the upcoming action
below and read about the historical Ashes series.
Upcoming Action:
Pakistan visits England

The precious memento rested on the mantelpiece at
the Bligh family home which was located at Cobham
Hall, near Rochester in Kent until Bligh died 43 years
later. At his request, Florence gifted the urn to the
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). Today, over 75 years
later, the unique piece is housed at the MCC Museum
at Lord’s together with a red and gold velvet bag that
was made especially for it along with the scorecard of
the famous 1882 “upset” match and each year, these
marvelous masterpieces of cricket history are seen by
tens of thousands of visitors from all parts of the world
- cricket lore has it that the urn does indeed contain
the remains (ashes) of a cricket ball or a bail.
It is interesting to note that the MCC was founded
in 1787 as a private members’ club dedicated to the
development of cricket and it owns and is also based
at the Lord’s Cricket Ground near St. John’s Wood in
North London. MCC used to be the governing body of
cricket in England and across the world and most of its
global functions were transferred to the International
Cricket Council (ICC) in 1993 and its English governance was passed to the England and Wales Cricket
Board at the same juncture.
Since the original “ashes” urn and the related items
are permanently housed at a museum, they obviously cannot be exchanged between
England and Australia and as would be
natural and expected, the two nations
wanted to contest for a “real trophy”
instead of a symbolic contest.
Therefore, during the early to mid1990s, the MCC commissioned - after
discussions with the England and Wales
Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket
Australia - an urn-shaped Waterford
Crystal trophy. This was first presented
to Mark Taylor after his Australian side
emerged triumphant in the 1998-99
Test series against England. Since
then, the trophy has been presented to the winning captain at
the end of each Test series
between Australia and England.
Most recently, it was presented to
Andrew Strauss after England’s 2-1
victory over Australia in the 2009 Ashes Series.

The “Ashes Series”
The “Ashes Series” is a 5-Test series that is played
biennially (once every two years) between England
and Australia, and the two nations take alternate turns
hosting the event. Sixty five Series have been played
so far and the record has been fairly even - the Aussies
have won 31, England has won 29 and 5 have been
drawn. The 66th Series will be getting underway
towards the end of 2010 and shall carry over into the
sunrise of 2011. Some interesting things to ponder are
how did this series get its name and what exactly is
the history behind it? The term “Ashes” was first used
after England fell to Australia for the first time on their
home grounds, at The Oval in London on August, 29,
1882. The following day, the “Sporting Times” carried
a mock obituary to English cricket which concluded
that: “The body will be cremated and the ashes taken
to Australia” and the concept intrigued the sporting
public. A few weeks later, an English team that was
captained by the Hon Ivo Bligh [later Lord Darnley], Historical information courtesy of www.cricinfo.com
set off to tour Australia, with Bligh vowing to return and www.wikipedia.com
with “the Ashes” and the Australians similarly promised to defend them aggressively.
Three matches against the Australian national side
were played, and additionally, Bligh and the amateur DEAL WITH SOMEONE YOU TRUST!!!
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Hindu Center of Charlotte invites all for 3rd annual
Sri Lakshmi Venkateswara Brahmotsavam &
Nuthana Padmavathi utsava Vigraha prathistapana utsavam
from August 26th - 29 th 2010
Dwajarohanam
August 27th
Hoisting the flag of garuda and
invitation to the celestials and
gods to attend the brahmotsavam

Chandra Prabhotsavam
Garuda Vahanam
August 28th
In the Vaishnava Puranas, Garuda is
also called periyatiruvadi, meaning
the first devotee. Therefore, Lord
Venkateswara selected Garuda as his
vehicle for the most important day of
the Brahmotsavam. Garuda Vahana is
the greatest of all the Vahanas.

August 27th
The Lord is taken in the Chandraprabha
Vahana (moon-shaped vehicle) around the
temple. According to mythology, Chandra
is the commander of the mind and the king
of aushadha (medicine). It is also said that
riding on the Chandraprabha Vahana is a
,-------,----=---,----,,-----,
soothing experience for the Lord that
Sri MahaLakshrni Utsava
brings peace to devotees' minds.
Pranaprathistapna

Bollywood and Beyond:
Hinduism Changing the World
By Pankaj Jain, Ph. D.
In his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “We have learned to fly the
air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have
not learned the simple art of living together as brothers.” I think the future of humanity is nicely summarized in these words. In addition to living together with
humans, we also need to learn how to live harmoniously with our environment. In our increasingly globalized world, we are witnessing our local neighborhoods becoming increasingly globalized. Just as an
example, now within the USA, there are more than
seven hundred Hindu temples and their associated
communities according to the Pluralism Project of the
Harvard University. Similarly, the threat of climate
change challenges us to learn and practice new ways
of relating to our natural resources. Can Hinduism
present us some ideas to deal with these issues challenging the present and the future of our world?
Although the United States is often referred to as the
melting pot absorbing different ethnicities and races,
history of Hindus living in India presents a much longer
tradition of accepting even larger number of diverse
people such as the Greeks, Jews, Christians, Muslims,
Zoroastrians, Huns in the ancient times and the Dalai
Lama and Tibetan Buddhists in the last century. It is
this Hindu past of religious acceptance and harmony
that goes even beyond the human species. Hindus not
only have accepted humans of diverse races but have
also accepted divinity in non-Human forms. A Hindu
can worship a stone and/or a specific mountain, the
water and/or a specific river and/or the ocean, a plant,
an animal (not just a cow but a snake or a rat or any
other species), a bird, the earth, the sky, the sun, the
fire, and so on. It is widely mentioned that Hindus
have 330 million gods but perhaps it is better to say
that Hindus have infinite number of gods and goddesses, because everybody and everything is potentially divine according to its philosophy. Its practitioners are simply trying to live up to the Hindu ideal of
visualizing divinity in every part of the universe, every
particle of the ecology. And following this infinite number of divinities, there arose thousands of different
castes, tribes, and other socio-religious communities
who not only tolerated each other but even accepted
each other’s spiritual path. Thus, there is no false god
or true god for Hindus.
The most fundamental concept of Hinduism is
Dharma which etymologically means “that which sustains”. Indeed, the very foundation of dharma is based
on sustainability of not just the human society but its
related Vedic concept of Ritam includes the entire uniAugust 2010

verse. There is a famous hymn in the Rigveda which
describes the creation of the entire universe: how a
cosmic person is transformed into the ecological entities (the sun, the moon, the wind, the sky, and so on)
and the human society (different social classes). This
interconnectedness of humans with the ecology can be
a very promising message for the contemporary problems of global climate change.
It was the Hindu idea of non-violence as immortalized by Mahatma Gandhi that Dr. King witnessed in his
1959 visit to India and later adopted in his own movement in the USA. The Hindu practices of Yoga and
meditation are now helping millions of Westerners
improve their health. Hindu idea of revering the
Mother Earth is also increasingly shared by many
Westerners in their quest to save the planet. In August
2009, Newsweek ran a story titled “We Are All Hindus
Now” based on the Pew Forum Surveys showing that
65 percent of Americans believe in multiple paths leading to God. Similarly 24 percent of Americans say they
believe in reincarnation, according to a 2008 Harris
poll, another major Hindu (also a Buddhist and a Jain
belief). More than a third of Americans now choose
cremation, according to the Cremation Association of
North America, up from 6 percent in 1975, which is yet
another practice of majority of Hindus.
Another major cultural presence largely representing
the Hindu way of life is the “Bollywood”, a popularly
name for the Indian film industry. India not only produces the largest number of films each year (in Hindi
and other Indian languages) but Indian films are now
enjoyed in African countries, the Middle Eastern countries, the South East Asian countries and Australia, the
Europe, and the North America. According to a
Businessweek report, Bollywood sold more than 3.2
billion movie tickets in 2009, much more than
Hollywood. This globalization of Indian films has not
only shown a glimpse of Hindu culture worldwide but
in turn Bollywood films themselves have now started
becoming more global in appeal, for instance, by
deemphasizing the village life and the caste system.
Future of Hinduism, as depicted in Bollywood at least,
seems to be led by the urban globalized Hindus.
Ironically, Hindus themselves need to be reminded of
Hindu ideas now to save their land of origin India from
the assaults of all kinds of pollution. The Bishnois, a
Hindu community in Northern India, is famous for its
earliest ecological sacrifice in 1730 in which a woman
named Amrita Devi led 362 other Bishnois to sacrifice
their lives to protect their sacred tree. The public
memory of this event continues to inspire environmental movements, such as the Chipko and the
Appiko. However, Indian rivers, mountains, forests,
and air are under tremendous pressure due to rising
economy and growing population. The future of
Hinduism is thus increasingly dependent on how successfully Hindus learn and apply their teachings in
everyday life.
To conclude, Hindu ideas and practices are slowly
entering and transforming the Western lifestyle.
Hindus in turn are becoming more aware of the global
problems such as the climate change. The ideals of
Hinduism, such as pluralism, dharma, ritam, and nonviolence are some important lessons for the future of

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Recipes and
more
Sweet or savory? With apples, you can do both
You’ve heard the phrase, “As American as apple pie.”
While apples provide the fabric for some of our most
basic, familiar and comfortable foods, they can be used
in more versatile ways than you might have imagined.
While you can’t go wrong with staples like apple pie,
caramel apples and apple fritters, there’s plenty more
to explore in the world of cooking with apples.
Apples are most often used in sweet desserts, but
there are plenty of opportunities to use apples in
savory dishes. Apples - not to mention apple juice or
apple sauce - can add a sweet and sour touch that can
be the perfect complement to typically savory dishes
like a garden salad.
If you’re still craving something sweet, apples can
also provide that extra needed flavor to a variety of
desserts. Since calories tend to add up rather quickly
in sweet dishes, apple products can often add a unique
sweetness, as well as a healthy dose of antioxidants
known for whole body goodness. Apples and apple
sauce make for simple and delicious additions to cookies, cakes, bars and sweet dessert breads.
Recognizing the versatility offered by apples, Tree
Top, a grower-owned co-op and producer of a wide
variety of juices and apple sauce, recently offered
home chefs the chance to cook creatively with apples
and showcase their recipes as part of the fruit-processing cooperative’s 50th anniversary celebration and
recipe contest. “America’s Secret Ingredient” recipes
were judged on originality, perceived appetite appeal
and perceived ease of preparation, with a winner in
both the sweet and savory categories receiving a hotel
and travel package to New York City to attend the Food
Network New York City Wine & Food Festival in
October.
“It is very important for my family to keep a nutritious diet. I incorporate apples into my everyday routine by sautéing vegetables in apple juice or even making fruit smoothies,” says actress and producer Melissa
Joan Hart, who is a spokesperson for Tree Top.
If you need some inspiration for using apple products
in your cooking, a wide variety of recipes can be found
at treetop.com. The following are two examples of delicious apple dishes, one sweet and one savory. Here are
a couple of recipes for apple lovers.
Apple Bread Braid (sweet)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Apple Juice
1 1/3 cups apples, sliced
(approximately 2 small
apples, or 1/2 lb apples)
1 tablespoon dry yeast
2 ounces lukewarm water
August 2010

2 ounces lukewarm milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg (room temperature)
1/4 cup butter (room temperature)
1/4 teaspoon lime juice
2 teaspoons sugar
2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Method: Combine yeast and water in a large bowl. Let
it set for 15 minutes. Stir in milk, sugar, salt, egg and
butter. Gradually add the flour until a soft dough is
formed. Knead dough on a floured surface until dough
is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Butter a clean
bowl; put dough in bowl and turn to coat with butter.
Cover and leave in a warm place until dough doubles
in size, about 1 1/2 hours. While dough is rising, combine apples, apple juice, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg,
cornstarch and lime juice in a medium saucepan. Stir
together and place over medium heat. Cook and stir
occasionally until apples are semi-cooked and sauce
has thickened. Remove from stove and let cool. Grease
a large cookie sheet. Punch down the dough; knead
briefly on a floured surface. Roll dough into a 10-by15-inch rectangle. Carefully move dough to a cookie
sheet. Spread cooled filling down middle of dough rectangle. With a sharp knife, cut 1-inch strips at an angle
on both sides of filling. Fold up end, and then fold over
the strips, alternating from side to side until all strips
are folded over. Tuck excess dough underneath at the
end. Cover loosely with a dish towel and let rise in a
warm place until almost doubled. Bake in a 375 F oven
for 30 minutes, or until nicely browned. Transfer to a
rack to cool. Brush with a sugar glaze when partially
cooled.
Yakima Valley Green Salad (savory)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup Frozen Concentrate Apple Juice, thawed
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon minced onion, if desired
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 teaspoon poppy seeds
1 large bag of Italian blend salad mix or hearts of
romaine
1 Bartlett pear; cored and cubed
1 cup fresh apple slices
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup chopped cashews
Method: Mix the first eight ingredients in a bowl or jar
and store in refrigerator. In a large salad bowl, add the
remaining ingredients. Shake dressing, pour desired
amount over salad just before serving. Toss and enjoy.

Saathee 80

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August 2010

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India’s Growing Population
continued from page 4

South China Sea
continued from page 32

Although activists pushed the Supreme Court to manas the Taiwan Strait and the Korean peninsula,” said
date minimum safety and quality standards for sterilizaDing. “So this [Ma’s remarks] really surprised me.”
tion in 2005, there is no real monitoring mechanism to
4) What are the most plausible conflict scenarios? ensure that facilities adhere to the norms. Surgeries are
One worry is an incident at sea — say, a collision no longer performed in cattle sheds. But Das said that
between a U.S. surveillance ship and a People’s infections and other complications are still common. All
Liberation Army ship leading to loss of life — that could too often women die under the knife as tired surgeons
escalate due to miscalculation and lack of communica- rush through operations in hastily erected rural camps.
Although international figures suggest that about one
tion. One such incident took place in 2001 between a
U.S. spy-plane and a Chinese fighter jet. The U.S. and in 200 female sterilization operations fail — resulting in
Chinese militaries established a hotline in 2008, but unwanted pregnancies and other difficulties — in India
China often simply refuses to pick up the phone out of that number is likely much higher.
Moreover, the focus on sterilization for birth control
pique, according to a recent Defense News report. But
the nations most likely to come to blows in the South pushes women to have children early and then go for
China Sea may be China and Vietnam. Hanoi was sterilization operations at 22 or 23 years old, which studincensed by Beijing’s treatment of its fishing boats last ies show makes them more vulnerable to various gyneyear and lodged a formal protest. It continues to see the cological problems — and four times more likely to underParacels as its territory, illegally occupied by the Chinese. go a hysterectomy later in life.
As the world takes fearful stock of India’s growing
Anti-China nationalism runs strong in Vietnam and is
easily inflamed. The two nations’ militaries have twice numbers, it should remember that those figures represent human beings, says the Population Foundation’s
skirmished in the South China Sea, in 1974 and 1988.
China’s moves appear to have already started a Nanda. And focus on the progress that has been made
regional arms race, analysts say. “Some southeast Asian and why it has been made, rather than putting the counnations are starting to beef up their armed forces to try in the cross-hairs again.
“No such scare mongering should be done,” he said.
hedge growing Chinese assertiveness in the South China
Sea,” wrote Ian Storey, fellow of the Institute of “The fertility rate has come down. When we started, it
Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, in a recent com- was around six. It has come down to 2.5 or 2.4, and it
mentary. Defense News’ Minnick said that Singapore, will reach 2.1 in another five or 10 years, maximum. In
Malaysia and Vietnam had “gotten into the submarine some states it may go a little later, but that should not
game,” and that “there are more concerns of an under- lead us to do things that will cause problems for women.”

water collision than an accidental war” in the South
China Sea. “Many of the countries now deploying submarines are not familiar with underwater rules of right of
way,” Minnick said. “There are clear demarcations for
direction and depth that are not being followed by some
of the more inexperienced countries. And then there’s
Chinese submarines roaming around as well. So it’s getting crowded underwater.” Meanwhile, one side effect of
China’s new claim may be to strengthen the U.S.’ budding ties with Vietnam. “The U.S. is moving closer to
Vietnam, and better military-to-military relations are
expected to improve this year as China rattles the saber
more,” said Minnick.

5) Are there any efforts to resolve South China
Sea disputes?
In 2002 the concerned nations signed a “code of conduct” agreement on the South China Sea. But the deal
hasn’t yet been fully implemented, largely due to China,
analysts say. “China perceives the South China Sea as its
territory, so it thinks ‘Why do I have to implement the
code of conduct?’” said Ding, the Taiwanese expert. Last
year, Vietnam and Malaysia submitted their formal
claims to territory in the South China Sea. China immediately protested, rendering the claims invalid, a move
that further ratcheted up ill will. The issue has quieted
down in recent months, but the underlying territorial disagreements are far from being resolved. “Somehow,
ways must be found to prevent emotive nationalism and
militarism from upsetting the uneasy status quo in the
South China Sea,” wrote the Institute of Southeast Asian
Studies’ Richardson.
August 2010

Indian Classical Music
continued from page 26
Thillana- The thillana is a rhythmic composition sung
typically towards the end of a Carnatic music kutcheri.
The incorporation of rhythmic syllables makes it
extremely suitable for dance presentations also.
Mangalam- The kutcheri typically concludes with a
mangalam - an auspicious prayer.
Till we meet next time, do try and listen to some Carnatic
kutcheris (many concerts are available online) and see if you
can identify the various items in a concert presentation.

Chai Table
continued from page 76
Hinduism in particular and for humanity in general. If
today’s Hindus can take inspiration from their own
teachings, they can ensure a healthy and prosperous
future for themselves, their diverse neighborhoods,
and their natural resources.

(Originally published at:
http://www.patheos.com/Resources/AdditionalResources/Bollywood-and-Beyond.html)
Pankaj Jain is an Asst. Professor at the Univ. of N. Texas
where he teaches on South Asian Religions and Ecology. He is
interested to connect ancient traditions with contemporary
issues and has been published in the Journal of Vaishnava
Studies, Numen, Religion Compass, Religious Studies Review,
Visual Anthropology, and Worldviews.

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Saathee 85

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what provides them with more security. But, recently I am
seeing more people study music and a couple of schools
did seminars in Bombay and mobilized students. So, I do
see a change happening, although it will take time.

Ehsaan interview
continued from page 30

Now, while OSTs such as “Dil Chahta Hai,” “Kal Ho
Na Ho,” “Rudraksh,” “Lakshya,” “Phir Milenge,”
You studied music in Los Angeles. Does it feel
“Bunty Aur Bali,” “Jhoom Baraabar Jhoom,” “Johnny exciting to be performing in California finally?
Gaddaar,” “Taare Zameen Par,” “Rock On!!,” got a
great response, OSTs such as “Short Kut,”
Yes, I’ll be in California for a few days and am going to
“Marigold,” and “Hum Tum Aur Ghost” got a mixed visit my school there, so that should be fun!
response. Do you really feel satisfied with your work
for those projects?
You do have a forum on your official Website to
interact with audiences directly, but how important
No, a couple of projects you end up doing and it does- is media feedback and monitoring for you?
n’t turn out right. You see, it’s mainly about relationships
with people—you like the producer. Like with “Short Kut,”
I do check reviews but now I’ve stopped checking
when it started out it was supposed to be a completely because I get very upset since they’re not good (laughs).
different film and directed by the person who directed I do interact with a lot of people online on the forum,
the original Malayalam film which won a national award. Facebook, Twitter. And, I like that. Replying to someone’s
The Hindi version got screwed and everything we did comment makes them happy and that’s nice. I read a few
went down the drain and sinks with the film. With ‘“Hum reviews on MouthShut.com, they are end-user reviews.
Tum Aur Ghost,” Arshad was genuine about the project
and we do support him on that, but the film unfortuWhat are some of your favorite voices from the
nately was not good. But, I think the songs were good. newer lot of singers?
So what? You can’t do everything that is perfect all the
time.
We look for new voices constantly. We like Shreya
Ghoshal’s voice and Kay Kay’s voice. But you have to look
A lot of OSTs only have 1-2 great songs and the at the kind of song and the end result you want.
rest are mediocre or remixes. Do you think this has Sometimes you don’t need a famous voice and sometimes
to do with music being used simply for marketing you can’t use your favorite voice for a song. It depends on
now?
the end result you want for a song.
You have to fill up a CD and as a result remixes are put
What has been the most challenging project and
in for people who want to use it or listen to a tune. “My which one are you most proud of?
Name Is Khan” had a bunch of Karan Johar songs as an
addition, a value addition, since physical sales are going
“Dil Chahta Hai” and “Kal Ho Na Ho” are two landmarks
down now and you try to get it moving.
for us. They brought us into the scene with our kind of
music. “Dil Chahta Hai” was what we are all about—not
Why do you think that multiple music composers too filmy—and was a big hit for us.
are being brought in for one project, such as with
“Wake Up Sid”?
Could you tell us about your upcoming projects?
It’s not a very good thing to do. It makes the soundtrack sound inconsistent. There are a lot of new directors
with different views and people like to try new things. With
“Wake Up Sid” it happened to be the background song—
‘Iktaara’ was done for the background.

There is Zoya Akhtar’s “Zindagi Milege Na Dobara,” the
new “Don,” Nikhil Advani’s “Patiala House,” the “Stepmom”
remake that’s now titled “We Are Family” by Karan Johar
and directed by Sid Malhotra, and we’re working on art
house work, too, like “West is West” which is a sequel to
“East is East.” So there are a bunch of projects, which is
Are you going to stay away from remaking exist- fun.
ing songs like you did in “Don”?
We’ve composed for the new “Don” and it doesn’t have
anything from the original “Don.” If the rights to an original song are purchased and if the script requires it, then it
requires it. So, it’s okay. In Hollywood you’ll find Frank
Sinatara songs used. When they [Hollywood] do it it’s cool
and when we do it here everybody says, “oh the golden
age” of music is being tampered with.

Any advice for NRI artists and anything you’d like
to tell our readers?

Well, NRIs are a big part of our fan base and we hope
to see them at the tour. And, for NRI artists to be a part
of Bollywood, you need to be here. There are a few singers
who came from there and are successful. But, you have to
be in Bombay—that’s the bottom line.

Do you think it is unfortunate that in India not
much importance is given to creative fields?

Amanda Sodhi is a Bollywood journalist, lyricist,
So much importance is given to Indian classical music screenwriter, and PR/marketing practitioner based in
in India. But, in India survival is a big thing…to earn Washington, DC.
money to keep it going at home. So, a lot of people go for
August 2010

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Events of Note
Rang De Basanti – An Evening of Dance
The Network of Indian Professionals (NetIP) Charlotte
will present “Rang De Basanti” - an evening of dance
on Saturday, Aug 21, 2010 beginning at 10 pm at
Amos’ Southend Bar and Bistro located at 1423 S.
Tryon ST. Charlotte, NC. Dance the night away to the
rhythm and tunes of DJ Don. Proceed from the event
will benefit the Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of India
(EVFI). EVFI was established to help in the overall
development of the remote tribal and rural villages in
India. Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of USA along with
EVFI is committed to the cause of eradicating illiteracy from tribal areas. Education is the key to selfesteem, self-sustenance, economic well being and
happiness. Ekal Vidyalya (One School One Teacher in
one village) plans to establish 100,000 schools in tribal areas by 2012. This will cover all the villages in tribal areas where there are no schools today. For details
on the work conducted by the organization visit
www.ekalvidya.org. The Carolinas Region of the
EVFUSA conducts fund raising and awareness programs in North and South Carolina. Tickets for “Rand
De Basanti” are available in various grocery stores and
Indian restaurants in the Charlotte Metro area. Tickets
are $10 and $15 at the door. The event is free for
NetIP members. For details on the dance send an
email to ekalcharlotte@gmail.com or visit www.netipnc.org
An evening of “Taal” Presented by Nrityam
Support two great causes and enjoy a cultural dance
show consisting of Indian Classical dancing followed
by Indian Folk dances. Taal will be presented by
Radhika Unnithan and her students on Sunday, Aug
29, 2010 from 4 - 6:30 pm at Cox Mill High School,
1355 Cox Mill Rd. Concord, NC 28027. The program
will feature classical and folk dance performance by
Nrityam. Donations to the charities will be appreciated and proceeds from this dance show will be given to
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Ekal
Vidyalaya.
English Tutoring Program
The International House of Charlotte is looking for volunteers to help teach English to those of different
nationalities. There will be four, three hour training
sessions in August (17, 19, 24, and 26) from 6-9 pm.
For
more
information,
send
an
email
at
njiron@ihclt.org.
Kid’s Art Competition, Charlotte
A children’s art competition conducted and organized specifically for the Festival of India 2010 will take
place on Saturday, August, 21, 2010 (10 am – 12
noon) at the Hindu Center, 7400 City View Dr.
August 2010

Charlotte NC 28212. The competition is for age groups
5-8 years, 9-12 years, and 13-16 years. Entry is free
to all participants and all nationalities are welcome.
The topic for the competition will be given on the spot
and will be age group appropriate. Participants can
use the medium of their choice. Only drawing sheet
(11”x14”) will be provided by organizers. No outside
drawing sheet is allowed. All participants need to bring
all other art materials (example: pencils, erasers,
water color paints, acrylic paints, pastels, crayons,
color pencils, brushes, palettes, water cups, drawing
board etc.). Judging will be based on the following criteria: originality, creativity, best interpretation of
given topic. Parents should drop off participants at the
venue at 9:45 am for registration. Participants shall be
picked up at 12 noon. No parents will be allowed
inside the venue during the competition. Winning
entries will be notified via phone or email. Prizes shall
be awarded at the Festival of India at Knight Theatre.
Final date for Entry Form Submission is Tuesday
August 10, 2010. For details on the competition, registration forms as well as information for the Festival
of India 2010 visit www.indiafestival.net.
2010 Charlotte Shootout
The second annual 2010 Charlotte Shootout will be
held on August 28-29, 2010, at the Tradition Golf Club
in Charlotte, N.C. For $185 per player, enjoy two days
of golf on a beautiful and challenging course, along
with admission to this year’s Dinner Night event —
featuring mouth-watering Indo-Caribbean food and
music by D.J. Mukesh. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to indulge in golf, delicious food, and the opportunity to network with a diverse group of friends, family, and professionals spanning many industries. All
proceeds will benefit the Hindu Center, Festival of
India, BAPS - Charlotte, LPA, and the Caribbean
Association of Trinidad and Tobago. For more information, go to:
http://www.myriann.com/clients/CharlotteGolf/index.php

To register online, go to:

http://www.myriann.com/clients/CharlotteGolf/players.php

USCIS National Children’s Art Project
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
(USCIS) has commissioned an art project for children
across the United States to create images depicting
their interpretation of the theme, “We Are America.”
This project asks children to draw pictures that answer
the question “People have come from all over the
world to become Americans. Why does that make us
great?” USCIS will collaborate on this project with
public libraries and other community-based organizations serving America’s immigrant communities this
summer. USCIS will display submissions in offices
across the country and will recognize participants during the 2010 celebration of the “September 11

National Day of Service and Remembrance.” Project
Guidelines: To obtain a submission form, children may
either stop by the nearest USCIS office or print one
from the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov/childrensartproject. To participate in the project, children must
be between 5-12 years of age as of Sept. 11, 2010.
All art submissions must be: on 8.5 x 11 or 11 x 17
inch paper in any medium including: paint, crayons,
markers, colored pencils or collage; Accompanied by a
short paragraph (2-3 sentences) that explains how the
picture relates to the project theme, “We Are America”
and answers the question “People have come from all
over the world to become Americans. Why does that
make us great?” and submitted to USCIS by Aug. 16,
2010. If you are unable to obtain the official submission form, you may send your art to any USCIS field
office in the United States, via mail, accompanied with
the following information: Artist Name, Age, Birth
Date, Phone, City/State/Zip, Name(s) and signature of
parents or guardian. Note that USCIS will be unable to
return submissions; they will become property of
USCIS. Artwork will be displayed at USCIS
Headquarters in Washington D.C., in USCIS offices
nationwide and a select number of submissions will be
posted on www.uscis.gov/childrensartproject. You can
mail or drop off submissions at your local USCIS office.
To find the address of your local office please visit our
website at: www.uscis.gov/childrensartproject or call
USCIS at 1-800-375-5283. You must address all
mailed entries to the “USCIS National Children’s Art
Project.” Mailed entries should be postmarked no later
than Aug. 16. For questions or inquiries about the
USCIS National Children’s Art Project email
USCISartproject@dhs.gov.
Ekal Atlanta Variety Show
Ekal Vidayala Foundation of USA presents a musical
program by Atlanta Artists on Friday, September 10,
2010 beginning at 7pm at the Global Mall in Atlanta.
Everyone is welcome: Free admission and dinner. All
donations go to the Ekal Vidayala Foundation helping
eradicate illiteracy in tribal India. For more information
contact: Shiv Aggarwal 404-456-2973.

Community reports
Miss Harnett County Named Fourth Runner-Up
to Miss NC 2010
My summer as Miss Harnett County has been unforgettable thus far. I travelled to Laurinburg, NC on an
appearance recently to jump out of a plane with the US
Army’s Golden Knights. I jumped the day before I
would check-in to compete at the Miss North Carolina
pageant. After arriving at the combat training grounds
in Laurinburg, I got a crash course on tandem skydiving and was asked to sign a waiver. I was getting a little tense at that point but it went too fast to really start
second guessing my decision to jump. I then met two
Golden Knights. One was my skydiving instructor who
would be strapped to my back through the fall, and the
other was a photographer and videographer who
would jump out of the plane right behind me to capture the entire experience. I donned a yellow, Golden
Knights suit and stepped into the harness that would
attach me to my instructor. Joe (my instructor) was
August 2010

such a great guy. I’d nervously ask him a question
about his experience or the likelihood of something
going wrong and he’d respond sarcastically to make
me feel like I’d have to be crazy to go through with the
jump. After hugging my mother tightly, it was off to
board the plane. Joe decided he would sit next to me
and read Tandem Skydiving for Dummies on the way
up. At around 7,000 feet, I was asked to give a brief
interview on camera. We kept climbing and some while
later, when all I could see out of my window were
clouds, Joe started attaching my harness to his. He
was, after all, the one wearing the parachute. At
13,500 feet, my instructor and I made our way over to
the door. I had been told in the crash course that we
would swing back and forth three times before exit,
“Ready, Set…”. “It was the most peculiar feeling. On
one hand, I felt totally safe with Joe. They were Golden
Knights. This was the division of the army that takes
the president and big celebrities like Tiger Woods out
for jumps. On the other hand, however, I was completely resigned to the fact that anything could happen, and I was okay with that… “GO!” The next thing
I knew, I was getting sucked down towards the face of
the earth, through the clouds at 120mph. It took a
couple of seconds to get my orientation but when I
looked out, I was staring into a camera. I smiled,
waved, and tried to take every second of the free fall
in before Joe pulled out the parachute and we went flying upwards. After that, it seemed like we were suspended, thousands of feet above the earth. Joe turned
us so I could enjoy the horizon and the five minute
descent back to land. I’ll never, ever forget the view or
the feeling…both of which are indescribable. After
landing swiftly, I was greeted by the cheers of my
committee, mother and friends. Now it was time to get
my game on for the competition. We spent the night
packing up all that I would need for the following
week. I spent the first few days of the pageant week
in day-long rehearsals and then preliminary competitions began. At the finale on Saturday night, I made
the top eleven and then the Top Five and was awarded fourth runner-up to Miss North Carolina. I will
receive a $1,500 scholarship for my placement and I
also won a $500 scholarship for my brother through
the Miss NC Fraternal scholarship award. I was very
contented with my first experience competing for Miss
NC. I learned very much and look forward to putting
into practice all that I have learned for next time. As
for now, I am busy getting packed up again to head
back to India to complete my undergraduate research
project! – Bindhu Pamarthi

Massages &
Other Services
By appointments only
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9131 Anson Way Suite 209
Raleigh, NC 27615

Morrisville, NC

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August 2010

Saathee 93

saathee.com

Community News & Events
Charlotte

#1 - MaGaReSa Club
Bollywood Film music is an integral
part of the South East Asian culture and provides easy access of
complicated raagas and swars to
those music lovers, who have not
learnt or have been exposed to traditional classical Indian music.
This community is all inclusive and
does not distinguish between languages members speak, country of
origin, social status or age. If you
are genuine about your love for
hindi songs, you will be welcome.
Additional details:
• The meetings are on the first
Fridays of every month around
Charlotte area.
• New members are always welcomed.
• Ideas and opinions are shared —
- and the group sings the latest
songs as well as classical songs
• Some sessions include food or
beverages. Do bring your own food
items if you have dietary restrictions.
Learn
more
at:
www.yahoogroups.com/group/ma
garesa-indianmusic,
or
http://magaresa.ning.com
Art of Living (Healing with the
Breath)
Art of Living is dedicated to serving
society by strengthening the individual. This is done through self
development
programs
that
recharge the body, mind and spirit
and allow people to function at
their optimum potential. People
from all backgrounds, religions and
cultural traditions come together in
service and celebration.
Info: 704.248.2647
charlotte@us.artofliving.org
www.artofliving.org
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan
Mandir
Regularly scheduled activities
include a daily Aarti at 6:30 am
and 7 pm. Darshan: Mon-Fri 6:30
am-12:30 pm and 4 - 8:30 pm,
Sat/Sun 6:30 am-8:30 pm.
Gujarati classes are held every
Sunday from 3 - 4 pm and
“Satsang Sabha” is held every
Sunday
at
4:30
p.m.
The
Swaminarayan Temple is located at
August 2010

Charlotte Indian Christian
Fellowship
The group meets the third
Saturday of every month at 6:30
PM for Bible Study, Prayer and
Fellowship. Everyone is welcome to
join the fellowship along with family and friends.
Saathee 94

Info: Hema at 704.841.7060
hadhopper@hotmail.com.
Charlotte Kannada Koota
The Charlotte Kannada Koota is an
organization that promotes understanding of Karnataka culture and
provides a medium for people of
Karnataka (Kannadigas) to get
together. The activities include
social get-togethers, music, and
drama.
Info:
704.526.9990
(Appan
Patil),
agm_patil@hotmail.com
704.281.8732
(Raj
Kulgod),
kraj7@yahoo.com
Charlotte Table-Tennis Club
Charlotte Table-tennis Club is
located at 345 Hawthorne Lane,
Charlotte, NC 28204 (Corner of
East 7th St. & Hawthorne Lane).
Hours:-Tuesday & Thursday 6-10
PM, Saturday 2-6 PM Sun 1-5 PM.
Info: www.charlottetabletennis.org
Charlotte Telegana Association
“Charlotte Telangana Association”
is a non-profit organization formed
to promote two different aspects —
- to promote not only the telangana cultural activities within
greater Charlotte area, but also to
bring together all the telangana
people living in the greater
Charlotte area and also to discuss,
plan, and take action around the
development of Telangana focusing
both on rural and urban Telangana
areas. “CTA” will also actively
engage in educating private, public
and non-profit organizations about
the great resources that Telangana
has for business activities, political
climate of telangan reason, and the
need for non-profit across telangana region.
Info & Pictures:
www.charlottetelangana.com
Charlotte Vipassana Meditation
Group
Vipassana, which means to see
things as they really are, is one of
India’s most ancient techniques of
meditation. It was taught in India
more than 2500 years ago as a
universal remedy for universal ills.
The Charlotte Vipassana Meditation
Group holds weekly group sits and

monthly all day sits for established
students (those who have taken at
least one ten day course from S. N.
Goenka or one of his assistant
teachers).
Ten-day courses are
also available for all students.
There is never a charge for a
course. New center now open in
Jesup, GA. To apply for a 10 day
retreat visit www.patapa.dhamma.org
Info: 704.277.5013,
rbddesai@gmail.com
704.563.5440,
dspranger@gmail.com
www.dhamma.org
Classical Music Association of
Charlotte (CMAC)
CMAC sponsors many classical concerts during the year in Charlotte.
Membership forms are available at
concerts.
Info:
704.541.3361
(Rama Rachakonda),
704.814.9355
(Lakshmi Muthukrishnan),
lakshmi7778@yahoo.com
cmacmusic@yahoo.com
www.onlinecmac.com
Dada Bhagwan Group
Satsang is conducted every
Sunday at 7 pm at the Hindu
Center in Charlotte and there is
also a Satsang every Thursday. In
addition, watch Satsang from
Friday to Tuesday at 7 am on TV
Asia. The present topics are “PatiPatni ka Divya Vyahvar” and
“Chovis Tirthankar.” The group has
recently opened a library for spiritual books, audios and videos.
Info: 704.287.3133
www.dadabhagwan.org
Datta Yoga Center - Charlotte
The group is dedicated to the service of SadGuru Sri Sri Sri Ganapati
Sachchidananda Swamiji through
SadGuru Seva, yoga and satsang
(singing the glory of god). Regular
Activities: Satsang every 1st and
3rd Saturday of the month, from 4
- 7pm. Bhajans composed by Sri
Sri Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda
Swamiji are chanted and occasionally video programs produced by
Avadhoota Datta Peetham are
viewed, including Sri Swamiji’s visit
to Manasa Sarovaram, Music for
August 2010

Meditation and healing concerts
and lectures.
Info: 704.839.3256
(Ravi Anupindi)
www.dattapeetham.com
www.dycusa.org
Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation
Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of India
(EVFI) was established to help in
the overall development of the
remote tribal and rural villages in
India. Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of
USA along with EVFI is committed
to the cause of eradicating illiteracy from tribal areas. Education is
the key to self-esteem, self-sustenance, economic well being and
happiness. Ekal Vidyalya (One
School One Teacher in one village)
plans to establish 100,000 schools
in tribal areas by 2012. This will
cover all the villages in tribal areas
where there are no schools today.
The Carolinas Region of the
EVFUSA conducts fund raising and
awareness programs in North and
South Carolina. Here are two
upcoming events in Charlotte
where proceeds will be donated to
Ekal Vidyalay. Rang De Basanti an
evening of dance presented by
NetIP on Saturday, Aug 21, 201
beginning at 10 pm at Amos’
Southend Bar and Bistro. Dance
the night away with DJ Don. Taal
will be presented by Radhika
Unnithan and her students on
Sunday, Aug 29, 2010 from 4 6:30 pm at Cox Mill High School,
1355 Cox Mill Rd. Concord, NC
28027. The program will feature
classical and folk dance performance by Nrityam.
Info: ekalcharlotte@gmail.com
www.ekalvidya.org
English Tutoring Program
The
International
House
of
Charlotte is looking for volunteers
to help teach English to those of
different nationalities. There will be
4, three hour training sessions in
August (17, 19, 24, 26) from 6-9
pm. For more information, send an
email at njiron@ihclt.org.
Festival of India Charlotte, NC
FOI, a bright spot in the North
Carolina Cultural calendar, will feature talented Indian members of
Saathee 96

the community performing on
stage, scrumptious food, exhibits.
It a an opportunity to absorb the
sights, smells and taste of India.
New this year will be Bhangra on
the street with live music, lectures
by noted specialist in India culture
and politics and “Indian Idol” a
chance to see and hear some talented musicians. Labor Day
Weekend. Sept 4th and 5th at the
new Knight Theatre in downtown
Charlotte. 12 Pm to 7 Pm Saturday
and 12 to 6 pm on Sunday.
Admission: $5 for both days.
Info: www.indiafestival.net
Hindu Center of Charlotte
The center is located at 7400 City
View Drive, Charlotte, NC 28212.
Temple Phone:
704.535.3440.
The library is stocked with books,
CDs, DVDs and other materials on
varied genre such as religion, culture, history, philosophy, yoga and
health. Library info: 704.554.0765.
Children’s
Religious
Oriented
Program (C.R.O.P.) is for children
Kindergarten through 12th grade
to educate them in culture and
understand religious practices. A
glimpse on understanding The
Bhagvad Gita provides children
with an opportunity to learn about
the GITA with simplicity, ease and
in an inclusive discussion format.
Info on CROP 704.547.1676
(Chetna Patel) patel4260@bellsouth.net. The Senior Citizens
Group meets on the 1st Sunday of
every month at 4 pm and followed
by Satyanarayan Katha at 5 pm.
Future trips and activities are in
the planning stages. Info on the
group: 704.334.2462 (Gobind
Bhojwani). The sloka class teaches
children above the age of five different Hindu hymns, their meaning
and significance. The class meets
Sundays at 9:30 am. Info on the
class: 704.814.9355 (Lakshmi
Muthukrishnan). Info on the Social
Welfare Committee: 704.372.1265
(Narain Amar) or 704.948.5609
(Dhinakaran Pillai). The Vedic
Havan is held at the vedant hall on
second Sunday of every month at
10:30 am to 12:00 pm noon followed by Prasadam.
Info:
704.825.9223
(Swadesh
Sawhney). The Pranayam classes
saathee.com

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With the name of the
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Full time realtor, fluent
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Triangle and surrounding
areas.

Indian Visual Artists
Association of Charlotte
(IVAAC)
IVAAC was founded by artists of
Indian
origin
living
in
the
Charlotte, NC area in their pursuit
of a creative outlet, stemming from
an urge to express the flow of their
innate artistic moods and ideas.
The vision is to promote the enigmatic and intriguing Indian culture
into meaningful forms of expression that exposes the rich traditions and diversity of one of the
most ancient civilizations on earth,
in today’s fast blending global culture and to create an organization
that provides planning and funding
required to ensure and support a
vibrant and culturally diverse
Indian art community.
Info: 704.540.8799 (Amit Shah),
704.688.5387 (Kinshuk Agarwal)
www.ivaac.org
August 2010

Kiran
KIRAN is a multi-cultural, non-religious, community based, South
Asian organization. Promoting the
self-reliance and empowerment of
South Asian women who are in crisis through outreach, peer support,
and referrals in a confidential manner. The group spreads awareness
of South Asian women’s issues in
the community and we cooperate
and collaborate with organizations
in the USA and elsewhere with similar objectives. Countries in South
Asia include Bangladesh, Bhutan,
Burma, India, Maldives, Nepal,
Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Though
there are differences in language,
customs, and religions across
these countries, these regions
share many basic cultural and historical similarities. KIRAN operates
a crisis phone line Monday- Friday
from 9:00 am – 9:00 pm. For help
or information regarding domestic
violence call an advocate.
Services offered are confidential
and free of charge:
• Information in a culture- and
context-sensitive manner
• Non-judgmental help and support
to women who are experiencing
oppressive/crisis situations
• Emotional support
• Referrals to professional and
community services regarding
legal issues, health care, shortterm child care, psychological
counseling, and temporary shelter
and housing
• KIRAN’s services are completely
confidential. Translators and crisis
counselors do not disclose any
information provided by our
clients. Info:
Crisis Hotline: 1877- NC-KIRAN or
1-877-625-4726
Kiran@Kiraninc.org
www.kiraninc.org
Net IP Charlotte
NetIP Charlotte is the only official
Carolinas
chapter
of
North
America’s Largest Network of
Indian
Professionals.
NetIP
Charlotte provides a forum for ongoing Career Developmental and
Professional Networking activities.
It arranges various events and
maintains
deeper
ties
with
Businesses & the community. It
provides various effective ways for
Saathee 98

Carolinas’ Indian Professionals to
connect with other successful professionals.
Info: www.netIPnc.org
Pratham - Charlotte Area
Pratham is India’s largest nonprofit organization with grass roots
programs in the area of primary
education. Pratham has made an
impact on the learning levels of
several million children through its
Read India campaign which
reached 31 million children across
India. Pratham has developed an
accelerated learning technique
which helps children to read &
write in two months. With nearly
half the children in India who
attend schools are not learning to
read and write at the required
level, Pratham is trying to fill an
important gap in the area of primary education. Info: Anju Desai
(ajdesai66@gmail.com or 980622-0125)
and
Shubhra
Chakraborty
shubhra.chakraborty1@gmail.com
or 704-942-4798)
www.prathamusa.org.
Probasi of Charlotte
Probasi is the Bengali community
based in Charlotte and surrounding
areas. The community’s goal is to
organize cultural and educational
program related to Bengal in the
Greater Charlotte area, to increase
Bengali cultural awareness, and to
provide community service in the
area.
Info: www.probasi.org
Sahaj Marg MeditationCharlotte Area
Sahaj Marg , which means Simple
or Natural path, is a Raj Yoga system of spiritual training based on
the heart centered meditation. The
unique features of this meditation
include transmission of divine
energy into the heart of the practitioner and cleaning of deep impressions, thereby regulating the mind.
Regular practice of this system of
meditation integrates the physical,
mental and spiritual aspects of
human being, while still encouraging people to maintain a normal
family and working life. In the
Charlotte area, group meditation is
held at the Unity of Charlotte on
saathee.com

SouthPark Cricket Club
South Park Cricket Club is based in
Charlotte, North Carolina and it has
been an active member of the Mid
Atlantic Cricket Conference since
2002. The club’s home ground is
located at the Reedy Creek Park,
2900 Rocky River Road, Charlotte,
NC. Info:
847.722.9865 (Baseet Ahmed),
baseer_11@yahoo.com
www.southparkcc.org
Steele Creek Cricket Club
Cricket is played every Sunday
morning at the Steele Creek
Athletic Association complex at
13530 Choate Circle, (weather permitting) from 8:00 am to 11:00
am. This group is dedicated to
playing cricket with a hard tennis
ball and/or soft baseball (also
known as T-Ball) for fun in the
Steele Creek Area of Charlotte. If
you would like to stay informed
about this club or would like to play
or watch cricket, feel free to join
and share your ideas. For information on current hours of play, location, and contacts.
http://www.geocities.com/steelecreekcricketclub
Tamil Catholics of Charlotte
Tamil Catholics living in the
Charlotte-Greensboro area interested in attending monthly mass in
Tamil contact pravben@gmail.com.
United Cricket Club
Forming a team this March of
experienced as well as beginners
that love cricket. Team will play in
the Atlantic League. Practice is
every Sunday at Reedy Creek Park
(11 to 4pm). Sunday and Monday
evenings for ages 15 and up. Join
the fun.
Info: 704.905.9127(Captain-Syed)
704.493.7629
(Vice Captain-Mohsan)

Greensboro
Art of Living (Greensboro)
The Art of Living Foundation offers
programs to uncover the strength,
peace, and joy that lie at the core
of every human being. Part I
courses are offered regularly in
Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Charlotte and
now Greensboro.
Saathee 100

In the Part I course participants
will
learn
and
experience:
Breathing techniques to eliminiate
stress & tension; Skills for improving relationships at home & at
work; Practical wisdom to get the
most out of life; Insight into the
laws that govern the mind & emotions; Low-impact yoga.
The masterpiece of the Art of
Living Course is a powerful breathing-based
technique
called
Sudarshan Kriya, or the healing
breath.
Contact:
Nirupama Shankar
shankar.nirupama@gmail.com
or
Puja
Verma
puja_usa@yahoo.com for more
details about upcoming courses
and follow-up kriya sessions.
http://us.artofliving.org/nc
Greensboro Cricket Club (GCC)
Good news for cricket lovers! There
are several teams that play cricket
in Greensboro. The goals of GCC
are fun, fitness, and friendship. For
info on play and location contact
below players.
Info:
336.501.3566
(9:00 am - 9:00 pm, S&S)
Dev, Greensboro Warriors,
happy4mehta@yahoo.com;
Venky, Triad Tigers,
venkyhot@hotmail.com.
Gujarati Cultural Association of
Piedmont (GCAP)
The Gujarati Cultural Association of
Piedmont serves the Asian Indian
community through sponsored
events, cultural, educational and
social programs.
GCAP, 127 Landmark Drive,
Greensboro, NC 27410
Info: 336.420.7290
336.327.1235
www.gujaratisamajoftriad.org
India Association of the Triad
The objective of the Association is
to promote social, cultural and
educational interests of its members,
develop
understanding
between members of the Indian
community and other residents of
the Triad, and make the latter
aware of issues of concern to the
Indian community. Hindi Language
classes are being taught by Mrs.
Punjabi.
saathee.com

Indo-US Cultural Association
of Winston-Salem
The Indo-US Cultural Association’s
primary mission is to increase
awareness of the cultural heritage
of India which is tremendously rich
in its diversity and history. The
Association seeks to reach out to
the thriving Indian-American community within the Piedmont and
Triad areas to share the vibrant
Indian culture and promote crosscultural understanding.
Info: indouswinston@gmail.com
Milan Arora
336.765.3379
Life Bliss Foundation
The NC Chapter offers workshops,
books, CD’s, and DVD’s on spirituality and enlightenment from living
enlightened master Paramahamsa
Nithyananda. Over 500 videos are
available on YouTube. Satsang in
Greensboro is held the first
Wednesday of each month. The
meeting includes meditation, video
discourse, and Q&A. Satsang
Location: First Wednesday of the
month, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm,
Integrative Therapies, 7-E Oak
Branch Drive, Greensboro NC
27407. Meditation workshops are
taught on a regular basis.
Info: 336.644.1111
www.lifebliss.org
Sri Sathya Sai Baba Center of
Greensboro, NC
The Center organizing regular Sai
Bhajans, Study Circle , Balvikas
class for students and Service
Activities. All devotees are welcome to the Center. 1st Sunday of
the Month 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM, all
other Sundays 10:00 AM – 12:15
PM. For details:
612.239.7529 (Deepak Deshpande
at Winston Salem)
908.875.6964 (Swami Rajendran
at Greensboro)
Temple of the Holy Name
Prabhupada Village is a rural Hare
Krishna community situated in the
beautiful foothills of the Blue Ridge
Mountains.
Every Sunday @ 1 p.m. —- chanting, dancing, feasting, philosophy.
August 2010

Temple is located at 1283
Prabhupada Rd, Sandy Ridge, NC
27046. Info: 336.593.9888
www.nckrishnas.com
Triad Hindu Temple
The Triad Hindu Temple is located
at
2424
Huffine
Mill
Rd.,
Greensboro. Its mission is to serve
the Hindu Community and promote
Hindu Culture through religious,
social and educational activities.
Regularly scheduled events include
Puja, bhajans, children’s programs,
celebration of holidays & community service.
Info: www.triadhindutemple.org

Raleigh
AANC - Assamese Association
of North Carolina
AANC is a Socio Cultural organization with the objective of promoting and providing understanding of
Assamese Culture and Language.
AANC celebrates Assamese festivals and organizes cultural activities like Bihu Dance, music, songs
and social get-togethers with
essential touch of Assamese culture. Everyone from Assam as well
as anyone with any connection to
or interest in Assam or Assamese
culture is most welcomed.
Info: 919.200.4020. - assameseassociation.nc@gmail.com
Academic Foundation for
International Cultural
Exchange (AFICE)
Interested in exploring the diverse
cultures of the world? Become a
host family for a high school
exchange student! All the students
will come from various countries
around the world, and all students
speak fluent English. They are of
high school age (15-18) and will
attend local high school in their
respective communities. Each student will live as member of their
American host family, sharing
household duties and responsibilities. AFICE is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to
bringing cultural gaps by allowing
foreign students the opportunity to
live as part of an American community.
Info: lathapamarthi@earthlink.net
www.afice.org
Saathee 102

Association for India’s
Development (AID)- Duke
University Chapter
AID’s mission is effect social
change in India, by supporting
projects with grassroots non-governmental organization in India in
the areas of literacy, health care,
rural credit, women’s empowerment etc.
Info: www.duke.edu/web/aid/
Atlantic Coast Sikh Association
This is one of the oldest Sikh associations in the Southeastern USA.
It meets every Sunday from 11:30
AM to 1:30 PM at its gurdwara,
located at 3108 Sparger Road,
Durham, NC 27705. Kirtan is done
by Bhai Dyal Singh Jatha. Classes
for Punjabi and religious studies
are held for children at the same
time. Info: 919.309.1045 - Bhai
Dyal Singh
www.acsagurdwara.org
Balagokulam
Gokulam is where Lord Krishna’s
magical childhood days were
spent. It was here that his divine
powers came to light. Every child
has that spark of divinity within.
Balagokulam is a forum for children (4-15 years age) to discover
and manifest that divinity. It will
enable Hindu children in the US to
appreciate their cultural roots and
learn values. This is done through
games, yoga, stories, songs,
shlokas, arts/crafts, and Seva
(selfless service) in the community.
Balagokulam sessions are free for
all and are held on Saturdays.
Info: balagokulam.rtp@gmail.com
hss.charlotte@hssus.org
(Charlotte region)
www.balagokulam.org
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan
Mandir
BAPS Shree Swaminarayan Hindu
Mandir invites everyone to the regularly scheduled events:
Ravi
sabha - every Sunday at 4 - 6 pm
followed by Aarti and Maha Prasad.
Mahapuja – every Purnima at 7
pm. Many classes are conducted.
Fresh Indian snacks and sweets
available
at
Shayona.
1020
Aviation Parkway, Morrisville, NC
27560. Info: 919.469.6605
www.swaminarayan.org
saathee.com

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August 2010

Saathee 103

saathee.com

Community News & Events
Bengali Association of North
Carolina (BANC)
BANC seeks to promote Bengali
culture, language, music, arts and
social activities by offering varieties of programs for members of
INDO-American community within
North Carolina and adjacent
states. The association is organized exclusively for charitable, cultural, social and educational purposes.
Info: www.banc-online.org
919.461.2386 (Ratan Ray), ratanray@hotmail.com
919.510.7943 (Swaty Sen),
swaty_sen@yahoo.com
banc_members@googlegroups.com

Bharatiya Senior Citizens of
North Carolina (BSCNC)
BSCNC is a nonprofit organization
for Senior Citizens of Indian Origin
that are age 60 years and over.
The BSCNC members meet on the
second Saturday of each month at
the Cary Senior Center in Bond
Park in Cary, North Carolina from
10:00am to 4:00pm and the next
meeting will be on Sat Aug 14 there will also be a celebration of
India’s Independence Day (August
15) at this meeting.
During
September, a journey of 6 days/5
nights is being planned to the
Grand Canyon in Arizona, the
Bryce Canyon and Zion National
Park in Utah, the Hoover Dam, and
Las Vegas, Nevada. There are 52
seats available on the Luxury
Coach and they will be filled on a
first come, first served basis so if
you desire to go - sign up early to
avoid disappointment.
Info: Bharati Patel: 252.236.4391
Harish Shah: 919.387.1629
Dhirubhai Desai 919.677.8513
Child Relief and You (CRY)
An organization in the Raleigh area
working with the India-based charitable non-profit organization committed to encouraging and facilitating individuals and organizations to
make a positive impact in the lives
of underprivileged children since
1979. CRY America’s RDU Action
Center has been active since 2001.
CRY-RDU invites people to join the
enthusiastic volunteer base to contribute ideas or any relevant skills.
Info: 919.362.9591 - contact perAugust 2010

son is Sarav Arunachalam.
rdu@cryamerica.org
www.cryrdu.org
Chinmaya Mission
Chinmaya Mission Raleigh-Durham
conducts Balavihar classes for children and youth (preschool to 12th
grade) regularly every Sunday
from 10 am to 11:30 am at Reedy
Creek Middle School, Cary. In addition to classes that are tailored to
each age group, lessons include
chanting of Bhagavad Gita verses,
and singing bhajans. With the
theme of Krishna – My Friend, all
students this year are learning
about Bhakti or devotion to God.
All festivals are celebrated along
with Prasad for families. Parents
wishing to enroll their children in
Balavihar can download registration form from http://www.chinmaya-rdu.org A regular adult study
group/satsang is conducted for
adults on Sunday mornings at
Reedy Creek Middle School, as well
as, other locations in the Triangle.
All are welcome to attend.
Info: www.chinmaya-rdu.org
cmrdu.balavihar@gmail.com

Datta Yoga Center - Raleigh
Mission: Spread the teachings of
Sadguru Sri Sri Sri Ganapathi
Sachchidananda
Swamiji
of
Mysore.
Activities:
Namasankeertana - Bhajans written, composed and sung by Pujya
Sri Swamiji. Future projects: Kriya
yoga classes by Pujya Sri Swamijitrained teachers from India. The
group meets on the first Saturday
of every month and every major
festival day for Satsang and
Namasankeertana (divine singing).
Everyone is invited to attend the
satsang with family and friends
and receive divine blessings.
919.484.1993 (Srinivas Chittineni)
919.461.0843 (Suresh Kota)
YahooGroups: Dattasatsang_NC.
Duke Diya
Duke Diya is a Duke University student organization that is committed to providing a forum for interaction through political, cultural,
community service, and social
events relating to South Asian
Americans. Info: 732.865.3173
www.dukediya.com
Saathee 104

Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation
Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of India
(EVFI) was established to help in
the overall development of the
remote tribal and rural villages in
India. Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of
USA along with EVFI is committed
to the cause of eradicating illiteracy from tribal areas. Education is
the key to self-esteem, self-sustenance, economic well being and
happiness. Ekal Vidyalya (One
School One Teacher in one village)
plans to establish 100,000 schools
in tribal areas by 2012.This will
cover all the villages in tribal areas
where there are no schools today.
The Carolinas Region of the
EVFUSA conducts fund raising and
awareness
programs
in
the
Carolinas. Seeking volunteers.
Info: 919.803.0478 (Hari H. Nath)
hnath45@yahoo.com
www.ekalvidya.org
Geet Bazaar Radio Program
Every Sunday morning from 10 am
- 12 noon on WKNC 88.1 FM, join
hosts Afroz Taj and John Caldwell,
for a wide variety of music from
India, Pakistan, and other countries and languages of South Asia.
Geet Bazaar will also publicize
community events free of charge.
Info: 919.851.1119 (Dr. Afroj Taj)
taj@unity.ncsu.edu
GEM - Raleigh Church of God
Attend worship services, prayer
meetings or Sunday School.
Info: 919.395.6208
(Pastor Thankachan M.)
globalem@gmail.com
Heritage India Association of
North Carolina (HIANC)
Heritage India Association of North
Carolina aims at providing Indian
cultural experience through performing arts, cultural arts, fine arts
& crafts of India. Its mission is “to
preserve and promote Indian heritage and culture.”
Upcoming Events:
October 3, 2010 - Gandhi Jayanti
at the Marbles Kids Museum,
Raleigh, NC
November 13, 2010 - Children’s
Day at the HSNC Cultural Hall.
Info: Yash Garg at 919-870-5222
or Harsha Shah at 919-362-0520.
Email: chander@bellsouth.net
saathee.com

Dr. Sanjay Bipin Patel

Cary Internal Medicine
& The Diabetes Center, PA

103 Baines Court, Suite 200
Cary, NC 27511
Phone (919) 467-6125

www.caryinternalmedicine.com or www.thediabetescenter.net

Diabetes Management
Heart Problems
Stroke

High Cholesterol
High Blood Pressure
Digestive Disorders

Thyroid Disease
Cough and Colds
Arthritis

Board Certified Internists
New Patients Welcome. Same Day Appointments Available.
Accepting Most Insurances.

Dr. Patel and Dr. Juneja are both recognized by the National Committee for

Quality Assurance (NCQA) for excellence
in diabetes management and for providing

high-quality

heart/stroke

healthcare

patients.

Please

ncqa.org for both recognitions.

August 2010

for

visit
Prashant K. Patel, MD
Board Certified Internist
Diabetologist

Saathee 105

Vijay K. Juneja, MD
Board Certified Internist
Diabetologist

Amrita Parikh-Desai, MD
Board Certified Internist

saathee.com

Community News & Events
Hindi Vikas Mandal of NC
Hindi Vikas Mandal (HVM), based
in the RTP area, promotes study
and appreciation of Hindi language
and strives to foster Indian culture
and traditions through Hindi. HVM
has a special focus on the youths
for the preservation of Indian
Culture and heritage.
Info: Saroj Sharma 919.851.0225
V.P. Tiwari 919.423.0365

student organization. It aims to
provide opportunities to learn
about Hindu philosophy, spirituality
and cultural heritage through various activities, events and projects
and is dedicated to provide “seva”
(service) to the community.
Info: 919.676.0298
(Mrinmoyee Sanyal)
msanyal@ncsu.edu
www.hsc-ncsu.org

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh
(HSS)
Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS)
conducts weekly activities to
develop character and leadership
skills in \ participants, emphasizing
values such as self-discipline, selfconfidence and a spirit of selfless
service (seva) for humanity while
maintaining Hindu cultural identity
in harmony with the larger society.
HSS is inspired by the idea that the
whole world is one family. HSS
started in 1989 in the United
States and currently has over 100
chapters (shakhas) across the
country. The Research Triangle
Park
chapter
meets
every
Saturday. Activities are tailored to
include yoga, games, songs, lectures and discussions on Hindu
dharma and culture.
hss.rtp@hssus.org - Triangle area
hss.charlotte@hssus.org
Charlotte region.

Hindu Students Council (HSC)
- NC State University
HSC-NCSU is a chapter of the
national
organization
Hindu
Students Council (HSC). HSCNCSU is a cultural and religious
August 2010

Hum Sub
Hum Sub is dedicated to sharing
the social and cultural traditions of
India with the residents of the
Research Triangle Park and North
Carolina.
Information and details:
919.367.0461 (Sonali Luniya)
919.851.5959 (Poonam Gupta)
contactus@humsub.net
www.humsub.net
Indian American Forum for
Political Education (IAFPE)
IAFPE, known as the FORUM, is the
oldest and largest Indian American
organization for political education
in the country. This is a non-profit
organization with numerous chapters throughout the United States.
The North Carolina Chapter is in
Raleigh and has just established a
new committee for a 2-year term.
We are excited and motivated to
Saathee 106

educate the community on political
issues and help the community
with various services. Support is
needed from the community and
members to help us grow and provide relevant services and informative events.
Info: Nilesh - 919.656.4361
www.forum-nc.org
Indian Classical Music & Dance
Society (ICMDS)
ICMDS is dedicated to the task of
promoting Indian classical music
and dance in the Triangle area.
ICMDS invites the top artists from
all over the world to perform in the
Triangle area.
Info: www.icmds.org
Indo-American Friendship
Foundation
Did you know that about 90 percent of rural orphans are female
and most of them are abandoned
at birth due to their gender? Not
one of them gets the opportunity
to become a doctor, engineer, or
even receive basic education.
Because they cannot live in the
orphanage when they turn 18,
many of them fall victim to different types of exploitation, including
sex trade. IAFF has created an
orphanage education fund to help
qualified orphans to rise as high as
they can climb in the educational/professional ladder. Info:
919.362.7653
(Dr. Subhas C. Mohapatra)
www.iaff1.org
Indus Foundation
Indus Foundation was founded in
NC by a group of professionals with
the sole purpose of giving back to
the community and the country
that has helped members achieve
success. Every dollar is wisely
spent back into the community
without any overheads. Current
major projects: Indian Cancer
Society rehabilitation Center in
Mumbai, Mental Healthcare Center
for socially rejected Women in
Indore, and three Educational
Centers in Gurgaon. Adopt an ongoing project or launch an new
project under specific guidelines.
Make a commitment today to build
a better tomorrow.
For complete information call saathee.com

International Community
Church
CC is a worship center for people
from India and neighboring countries. The pastor is Joseph B.
Jesudason and the church office is
located at 1215 Franklin Jones
Road, Suite #204, Raleigh, North
Carolina 27606.
Info: 919.233.2900
www.internationalcommunitychurch.org
International Hindi Association
International Hindi Association
(IHA) promotes Hindi language
and literature and has chapters all
over the United States. The Raleigh
Chapter periodically organizes Kavi
Sammelans with local and indigenous talents. Open to those interested in listening to poetry or in
reciting poetry.
Info:
919.851.0225 (Sarojben Sharma)
919.362.5244 (Sudha Dhingra)
www.hindi.org
International Swaminarayan
Satsang Organization (ISSO)
Primary objective of ISSO is “To
advance the Sanatan Dharma in
accordance with the principles and
teachings of Shree Swaminarayan
Sampradaya,
founded
and
ordained
by
Lord
Shree
Swaminarayan (Shree Sahajanand
Swami),” enabling His devotees
from both the Nar Narayan Dev
Gadi (Ahmedabad) and Laxmi
Narayan Dev Gadi (Vadtal) to practice their religious duties in harmony. The Raleigh-Durham chapter
organizes a “Satsang Sabha” every
two weeks, typically on Friday or
Saturday evenings, which includes
Kirtan bhakti, Katha, Aarti and
Mahaprasad.
Info: 919.363.2356 (Niraj Joshi)
niraj_joshi@yahoo.com
www.swaminarayan.info
ISKCON of North Carolina
The Sri-Sri Radha Golokananda
August 2010

Temple - Iskcon of NC is situated
on 16 acres of field and forest with
the historic Eno River flowing
behind the temple property. The
temple is just a few miles off of
Routes I-40 & I-85 and located at
1032
Dimmocks
Mill
Road,
Hillsborough, NC 27278. Daily
aarti- 4:30 am, 7:15 am, 12:30
pm, 4:15 pm, 7 pm. Darsana:
Monday through Friday 7:30-11:30
am and 4:15-5:45 pm, Saturday
all day until 5:45 pm, Sunday all
day until 7:30 pm. Sunday Festival
begins at 4:00 p.m. and it includes
kirtan, aarti, Bhagavad Gita discourse, vegetarian feast, and
Sunday school for children.
Info: 919.593.6827, golokanandapriya@hotmail.com
Yoga classes - Krishna Priya at
krsnapriyahg@yahoo.com
Kiran
KIRAN is a multi-cultural, non-religious, community based, South
Asian organization. Promoting the
self-reliance and empowerment of
South Asian women who are in crisis through outreach, peer support, and referrals in a confidential
manner. The group spreads awareness of South Asian women’s
issues in the community and we
cooperate and collaborate with
organizations in the USA and elsewhere with similar objectives.
Countries in South Asia include
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, India,
Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri
Lanka. Though there are differences in language, customs, and
religions across these countries,
these regions share many basic
cultural and historical similarities.
KIRAN operates a crisis phone line
Monday- Friday from 9:00 am –
9:00 pm. For help or information
regarding domestic violence call an
advocate.
Services offered are confidential
and free of charge:
• Information in a culture- and
context-sensitive manner
• Non-judgmental help and support to women who are experiencing oppressive/crisis situations
• Emotional support
• Referrals to professional and
community services regarding
legal issues, health care, shortterm child care, psychological
Saathee 108

counseling, and temporary shelter
and housing
• KIRAN’s services are completely
confidential. Translators and crisis
counselors do not disclose any
information provided by our
clients. Info:
Crisis Hotline: 1877- NC-KIRAN or
1-877-625-4726
Kiran@Kiraninc.org
www.kiraninc.org
Nuv Yug
Nuv Yug is a cultural organization
with a mission to promote awareness of Indian cultural arts and
heritage. Striving to create synergy among various cultural groups
from the South Asian region.
Info: www.nuvyug.net
Pakistani American
Association
The
Pakistani-American
Association (NCPAA) is a non-political, non-sectarian, cultural and
social organization that promotes
Pakistani culture to all the communities living in the Triangle Area of
North Carolina. Several events are
presented during the year. A family dinner is held on the second
Friday of every month.
Info: payamber@ncpaa.org
www.ncpaa.org
Pratham - Triangle Area
Founded as a UNICEF initiative,
Pratham is a grass-roots organization that works towards universalizing primary education in India.
With a goal of reaching 20 million
children, Pratham is one of the
largest NGOs in field of literacy
movement in India. Pratham continues to evolve, grow and works
to meet the continually changing
needs of the children it educates.
Pratham’s North Carolina chapter
actively aims to collaborate with
individuals, local organizations and
community associations and seeks
ideas, volunteers and resources to
deliver the vision of “Every Child in
School and Learning Well.”
Info: www.prathamnc.org
Professional Indians’
Association (PIA)
PIA is a meetup that serves young
South Asian professionals in the
Triangle Community. The group is
saathee.com

Tickets: $25, $35 50 & VIP
Tickets will be available at
Patel Brothers, Bombay Bazar & Payallndian Groceries
Tickets are also avail/able at Sulekha.com
for more information visit www.saathee.com

Community News & Events

made of Indian professionals and
grad students interested in cultural
events,
socializing
and
meeting/making friends with likeminded
people
around
the
Triangle. Monthly events include
meeting
at
bars/restaurants,
Bollywood movie nights, potlucks,
Indian
concerts/performances,
outdoor activities, community
service and volunteering. This will
also be an opportunity for professionals to share their thoughts on
respective industries, social causes, the economy and politics.
www.meetup.com/PIATriangle/

Ramakrishna Vedanta Society
of North Carolina
The Ramakrishna Vedanta Society
of NC draws inspiration from the
timeless, philosophical wisdom of
the Vedanta as practiced and
preached in the modern day by Sri
Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi and
Swami Vivekananda. Perhaps you
know a great deal about Practical
Vedanta and the message of the
harmony of religions and the spiritual oneness of Existence - or perhaps you are just curious and want
to learn more.
Regardless of
background and / or knowledge
the organization welcomes all participants.
Info: www.vedantanc.org
RTP Maharashtra Mandal
RTP Maharashtra Mandal promotes
Maharashtrian culture and language. Maharashtra mandal is
committed to serve RTP community with various cultural, social and
traditional marathi programs and
events.
Info: 919.468.8824 (Jayant Yete)
919.757.7300
(Neeraj Shikarkhane)
www.rtpmm.org
S. V. Temple of North Carolina
S.V. Temple of North Carolina is
built on over nine acres of centrally connected triangle area. This
grand tribute to Lord Venkateswara
and his consorts is designed to
exacting standards of shilpa
shasthra and features the only
shrine in North America to incorporate abodes to Lord Viswaksena
and
Lord
Sudarshana/Lord
August 2010

Narasimha as part of Srinivasa
Parivaram. The temple rituals are
performed in accordance with
Pancharathra Agama Shastra.
Info: 919.468.0040
comm@svtemplenc.org
www.svtemplenc.org

Sahaj Marg Meditation Triangle Area
Sahaj Marg translates to “The
Natural Path.” It is a natural, simple system of Raja Yoga meditation
and spiritual practice that helps
one realize the ultimate potential
within oneself. Regular spiritual
practice under capable guidance
enables aspirants to progressively
experience the sublime presence of
the divine in their daily lives. Sahaj
Marg system of meditation is freely
offered to seekers worldwide
through Shri Ram Chandra Mission.
In Triangle area, group meditations
are
held
on
Sundays
and
Wednesdays.
Info: (919) 303-7447 (Raj Solanki)
(919) 493-6180 (Devi Sekar)
raleigh.center@gmail.com>
www.srcm.org,
www.sahajmarg.org
SAMPIGE - Triangle Kannada
Association
The Triangle Kannada Association
is a cultural association for people
residing in the Triangle area from
Karnataka, India. Sampige organizes Kannada (the language spoken in the Karnataka area) activities in music, dance and drama as
well as social activities.
Info: sampigeeditor@yahoo.com
www.sampige.org
Share and Care Foundation
(SCF)
Share and Care Foundation (SCF),
a charitable organization focused
on several projects in India and the
USA, is launching a new chapter
for the Carolinas - this represents
the first chapter outside the New
Jersey headquarters of SCF. SCF
has been working with the
Triangle’s Indian community for
more than 15 years.
Info: 919.425.5299 (Manu Patel)
919.469.1258 (Rajeev Kamath)
www.shareandcare.org
Saathee 110

Sikh Gurdwara of North
Carolina
The Sikh Gurudwara of North
Carolina welcomes visitors of all
backgrounds regardless of race,
religion, ethnicity or gender. All
peoples, regardless of their origin
or orientation, are welcome to
attend our services and share in
the blessings of God. Religious
services are held every Saturday
evening and Sunday morning, followed by a community meal (langar). In addition to religious services, we offer educational programs for children and young
adults. Adults participate in religious discourse during monthly
study circles. Members of the
Sangat (congregation) regularly
participate in community service
projects in the Triangle area. The
Sikh Gurdwara at North Carolina is
located at 3214 Banner Street in
Durham, NC 27704.
Info: 919.220.9917
www.sgncweb.org
South Indian Fine Arts
Academy (SIFAA)
SIFAA is a non-profit organization
that works to arrange and promote
concerts and performances in the
Triangle and Triad areas, concentrating on Carnatic music for the
present.
Info: 919.773.1580
www.sifaa.org
St. Gregorios Malankara
Orthodox Syrian Church
Monthly Mass and regular services
are held in Malayalam/English by
Rev. Dr. M. K. Thomas at the
Baptist Student Center, 2702
Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC.
Info: 919.461.1773
sec@stgregoriosnc.org
www.stgregoriosnc.org
Tamil Cultural Association of
North Carolina (TCA NC)
TCA NC is a non-profit organization
formed for the purpose of providing youths with exposure to Tamil
culture. Everyone is invited to join
TCA and become part of a wonderful organization promoting Tamil
culture in the Triangle area.
Info: tca_nc@yahoo.com
www.tcanc.org
saathee.com

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Community News & Events

Tamil Sangam of Carolina
The Tamil Sangam is an organization that promotes understanding
of Tamil culture and provides a
medium for people of Tamil culture
to get together.
The activities
include music, drama, lectures,
Tamil movies, etc.
Info: (919)-465-1606 - Ravi
Shanmugam (President)
http://members.fortunecity.com/t
amilsangamofcarolina
Triangle Area Telugu
Association (TATA)
The
Triangle
Area
Telugu
Association (TATA) is a non-profit
organization (started in 1983)
committed to building a vibrant
Telugu Community and promoting
Telugu culture and language in the
Triangle area of North Carolina.
Info:
committee@tataonline.org
www.tataonline.org

Triangle Bangladesh Society
(TBSNC)
TBSNC strives to arrange musical
programs by artists who have captured the hearts and minds of millions of Bengali-, Urdu- and Hindispeaking music fans all around the
globe. Info: 919.741.9343
(Ishtiaque Mohiuddin)
Ishtiaquem@gmail.com
www.tbsnc.org
Triangle Chapter-India
Development & Relief Fund
(IDRF)
IDRF is a registered, tax-exempt
non-profit organization that supports volunteer-based, honest and
highly experienced non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in
India in serving their populations’
critical needs around education,
childcare, healthcare, women
empowerment and tribal welfare,
as well as relief and rehabilitation
in times of natural disasters.
Info: www.idrf.org.
Triangle Gujarati Association
(TGA)
Triangle Gujarati Organization is a
non-profit Organization with a mission to promote Gujarati culture in
the Triangle area. The goals are to
serve the Gujarati community by
organizing various events throughAugust 2010

out the year and impart Gujarati
culture and language on the youth.
Upcoming events:
Pre Navaratri Program:
October 2, 2010
Sharad Purnima Program/Raas
Garba: Oct 23, 2010
Diwali Function:
November 6, 2010
Info: www.nctga.org
President: Ms. Harsha Shah
919.362.0520
Vice President: Ms. Hemini Patel
919.387.2900
Triangle Indian Youth
Organization (TIYO)
This organization has been created
with the purpose of encouraging
youths of Indian origin aged
between 12-18 years to develop
skills for leadership, to organize
team-oriented efforts, understand
and participate in community services, understand and develop individual potential. There will be
activities that will fall into the
broad categories of education,
arts, cultural, charity, religious and
community services.
Info:
919.363.7339 (Latha Pamarthi
[Director of TIYO])
triangleindianyouth@yahoo.com
Triangle Rang Mandal
Devotees of Pujya Sri Rang
Avdhoot Maharaj meet every
Saturday in Cary or Raleigh from
8:30 PM - 10:30 PM to sing devotional Dattatreya Bhajans and
Datta-Bavani in a spiritual atmosphere. Special programs organised
on Guru Purnima and Rang Jayanti
and on the occasion of Pujya Sri
Prem Avdhoot Bapji’s annual visit
to the US.
Info: rangmandal@gmail.com
Triangle Vegetarian Society
(TVS)
The mission of Triangle Vegetarian
Society (TVS) is to build a sense of
community between current vegetarians and people who are interested in vegetarianism and have a
forum for a discussion of issues.
TVS holds the country’s biggest
vegetarian thanksgiving feast
every year. For details on that and
other upcoming events visit the
Saathee 112

website or send an email.
Info: barman@cs.unc.edu
www.trianglevegsociety.org
Two Cents of Hope (TCH)
Two Cents of Hope was started by
a group of Indian students at NC
State University with the belief in
empowering youth via education.
The goal is to uplift the weaker
sections of the society through
education. The foundation lies in
the power of cents giving TCH its
name. As J. Carney put it, “Little
drops of water, little grains of sand,
make the mighty ocean, and the
pleasant land.” By using coin boxes
to collect loose change, the total
donations result in a collection that
yields considerable amount of
money, enough to give education
to a poor student - indeed a firm
footing for the rest of his or her
life. Apart from the coin collection
other sources of funding includes
fundraising
events
(Trishna,
Crescendo, and Booth in Cary
Diwali) and sponsors. In the last
three years TCH has funded
$21,689, which includes 77 projects benefitting 270 students and
two schools in India. To keep a coin
box at your place or to know more
about Two Cents of Hope, email coordinator@nc.twocentsofhope.com

www.twocentsofhope.com

Urdu Majlis
Urdu Majlis is a literary organization for the promotion of Urdu language and literature and has no
political, national or religious affiliations. The group has regularly
scheduled monthly meetings in
which enthusiasts and scholars of
Urdu literature meet to discuss the
life and works of a selected literary
figure.
Info: taj@unity.ncsu.edu
919.851.1119 (Dr. Afroz Taj)
919.962.1060 (Dr. Afroz Taj)
919.596.4792
(Ashraf and Seema Faruqi)
Vaishnav Samaj of Triangle
Area
The Vaishnav Samaj is a group of
like-minded devotees who meet for
religious worship and understand
Pushti Marg Principles at large.
There will be a discourse on
saathee.com

Clean And Healthy India

Clean & Healthy India Promotion â&#x20AC;&#x201D; International

(CHIP-IN)

For details visit: www.chipin-inc.org
Make your next visit to India tax exempt
while serving your community and country.
Help your family and friends back home prevent
90% of common diseases and reduce their
expenses on medical and drinking water.
Be a role model to your old schools and colleges
and save money on air ticket, hotel and food.

Georgia Indo-American
Chamber of Commerce
The
Georgia
Indo-American
Chamber of Commerce (GIACC)
develops and promotes trade,
business, commercial and professional relationships between India
and the United States, especially
within the state of Georgia. GIACC
was formed recognizing the need
for promoting bi-lateral activities
among South Asian and mainstream communities in the United
States and South Asia.
Info: 678.762.7589
AniThirdM@aol.com,
ani@giacc.org.
770.840.1925 - susan@giacc.org.
www.giacc.org

Barsana Dham satsang
[Greenville, NC]
Barsanadham is organizing a
monthly devotional bhajans and
kirtans program at the Vedic
Center of Greenville, NC. This program is on every third Saturday of
the month from 11-1pm and followed by lunch prasad.
Info: Madhu Sharma
336.404.7047
madhu0sharma@yahoo.com
www.barsanadham.org
Cape Fear Cultural Association
of India - Wilmington
Cape Fear Cultural Association of
India is an organization that promotes understanding of Indian culture and promotes a medium for
people of Indian culture to get
together.
Shashin Patel,
President. (910.790.9448)
Sanjay Batish,
Vice-President. (910.371.9860)
Anjali Dashputre,
Treasurer. (910.395.6633)
Sukhbir Dhillon,
Cultural Secretary (910.796.1965)
Chinmaya Family Camp Indian Springs, GA
Dates: September 3rd through 6th
at Indian Springs, Georgia. Camp
Benefits: Satsang with Swamijis,
Simultaneous and separate children’s programs, bringing families
together, developing and strengthening faith and spiritual values,
August 2010

South Carolina
American South Asian Cultural
Association of Columbia, SC
The organization’s fundamental
goal is to increase cultural awareness and develop cultural understanding among American South
Asian Community in Columbia
area. A monthly dinner will be held
on the Second Sunday of every
month between 6 to 9 PM. There
will be $10.00 Per Person charge
for dinner at India Palace, 110-A
Columbia
Northeast
Drive,
Columbia.
Info: evenings 803.233.7042 or
803.233.3996
Carolina Buddhist Vihara
(Greenville, SC)
Regular beginner meditation program conducted by a Buddhist
Monk. Activities are held Monday,
Tuesday and Wednesday evenings:
6:30 pm (puja), 7 pm (meditation), and 8 pm (“Dhamma” talk or
discussion). A “youth program” is
also held once a month.
Info: dhammasc@hotmail.com
Hindu Society of Greater
Spartanburg
Sun Aug 8 @ 4:45 p.m. - Satsang
with Divakari Devi of Barsana
Dham followed by Aarti.
On Sat Aug 21 and Sun Aug 22,
Hindu
Society
of
Greater
Spartanburg will celebrate the 25th
Anniversary of temple formation
and 4th anniversary of Murti
Pratishtha. This represents a
remarkable milestone for the temple and everyone is invited to join
in this joyous and festive occasion.
On Saturday, the celebration be
from 5:00 p.m. onwards and will
include a cultural program with
“Sanskriti Darshan” as a theme followed by dinner. On Sunday from
8:30 a.m. onwards, there will be
poojan/havan, talk by spiritual
leader and a light lunch. There will
be lots of displays and a slide show
presentation showing our journey.
The daily Aarti is at 7:00 p.m.,
Balvihar classes are conducted
from 10:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. on
scheduled Sundays, and Satsang is
on second Sunday every month
from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
saathee.com

Community News & Events
Temple is located on 1130 Fairview
Church Road in Boiling Springs,
S.C. 29303.
Info: 864.599.7048
Hindu Temple of South
Carolina
The Hindu Temple and Cultural
Center of South Carolina was
established with an objective to fill
the need for thousands of Hindus
in the State of South Carolina to
worship and pray together, perform
sacraments and rituals, to observe
and celebrate festivals, and to perform and engage in humanitarian
and educational activities.
Info:
www.hindutemplesc.org/index.php
India Assoc. of Greater
Charleston (IAGC)
The
IAGC
was
founded
in
Charleston to bring together people who were interested in India
and to provide a forum to increase
the understanding of the heritage
of India in US.
Info: 803.884.0859
iagcfolks@yahoo.com
International Fellowship
Church of Greenville, SC
International Fellowship Church
offers Sunday worship services and
other weekly activities for people
of Indian origin.
Info: 864.234.1256
(Pastor Suhas Raiborde)
www.internationalfellowshipchurch.org
Kannada Association of
Greater Greenville (KAGG)
An organization devoted to the
awareness and promotion of
Kannada culture in the Greater
Greenville area of South Carolina.
KAGG is a primarily run by volunteers and invites Kannadigas living
in and around Greater Greenville
area to participate in the organization. Kannada classes for children
are being organized to meet at the
Vedic Center in Mauldin every
other Sunday morning.
Info: 864.430.4973
www.kagg-sc.org
Masjid Noor-UL-Huda
The Mosque is located at 517
August 2010

Winmet Drive, Columbia, S.C. On
the first Saturday and third
Saturday of every month from 6
PM to 8 PM, Islamic session is held
by Hafiz Mohammed Basheer.
Quranic Reading classes are conducted daily, and everyone is
encouraged to send their children
to these sessions.
Info: 803.749.0827 (Dr. Shami)
803.740.5127 (Qari Abdul Khader
Multani)
803.754.2632 (Mosque main number)
Mrudani School of Performing
Arts
Mrudani School of Performing Arts
is a non-profit organization whose
mission is to promote the classical
arts of India. Mrudani School offers
classes
in
Bharathanatyam
(Kalakshetra style) and Kuchipudi
in Columbia, Orangeburg, and
Charleston, SC.
Info: Monica @ 843.849.7841
Anuradha @ 803.347.3851
classicaldance.india@gmail.com
Sirigannada
Sirigannada,
the
Kannada
Association of South Carolina, a
non-profit organization was created on July 18, 2004 by the interested Kannada speaking people of
South Carolina. It is a voluntary
organization primarily run by
memberships and donations from
Kannadigas of the wonderful State
of South Carolina.
Info: www.sirigannada.org
Telugu Association of Greater
Greenville, SC
Telugu Association of Greater
Greenville, SC, serves the Telugu
community
of
the
Greenville/Spartanburg area of
South Carolina. The group sponsors several events throughout the
year. Info: www.taggsc.org
Triad Avatar Meher Baba
Group
The Meher Center is a spiritual
retreat/ashram located on SC
Highway 17 immediately North of
the Highway 22 connection 8 miles
from Myrtle Beach, SC.
Meher
Baba visited this place 3 times and
considered it His home in the West.
Saathee 116

A small brick house built especially
for Him is open for “Darshan” on
Fridays and Sunday (11:00 am.) /
Meher Center: (843) 272-5777.
Info: 336.299.9683
runderwood@webtv.net
www.avatarmeherbaba.org
Vedic Center of Greenville
The Center is located at 499 Bethel
Road in Mauldin, S.C. 29662.
Daily Aarti is conducted Monday to
Friday at 8 pm. Bal Vihar classes
are conducted Sundays from 11:15
am - 12:30 pm. Sri Venkateshwara
Suprabhatam is held on 2nd Sat of
month at 9 am.
Sun Aug 29 through Thu Sep 2 Sushree Diwakari Deviji, President
of JKP Barsana Dham, Austin,
Texas, will be giving a 5-Day
Lecture Series in Hindi entitled
“Bhagwan Kaise Milenge”.
Info: 864.967.2852
Send your organization’s news
and events to us by the 20th
of the month for inclusion in
following month’s issue.
Write to us at
saatheemag@hotmail.com
or visit: www.saathee.com.

Writers
Wanted

We are looking for contributors to our monthly forum The
Chai Table. If you have an
interesting tale to tell, an opinionated opinion or a humorous remembrance of youth,
write to us. We may publish
your piece in a future issue of
Saathee. Also, encourage
your children to submit
poems, short stories or other
original writings.
Info:
saatheemag@hotmail.com

SERVING ThE INTERNATIONAl COMMuNITy
My parents are IMMIGRANTS therefore I can
understand your situation. you will be treated
with the utmost integrity and respect.
Saturday and telephone consultations available

Stocks
continued from page 54
re-claim it. Concerns about the rebound of the economy loomed constantly in the background because the
U.S. economy lost 125,000 non-farm payrolls during
June 2010 and this was indeed very disappointing
since there had been job gains during the previous few
months - an important caveat is that some of the job
‘gains’ that were registered during April-June could be
attributed to temporary jobs for the 2010 Census,
however, even while understanding that fact it was still
very disappointing to swing from job gains to job losses. Additionally, the unemployment rate continued to
be stubbornly above 9.5 percent and the stark reality
is that it shall take many years to recoup all of the jobs
that have been decimated by the worst economic
slump since the Great Depression, and some of the
lost jobs will never come back.
The U.S. deficits and national debts continue to
expand - according to current projects, if the government keeps its current spending patterns, the interest
alone on the national debt will exceed $1 trillion by
2020. As a consequence, the U.S. Dollar will remain
under pressure in the long term even though it has
had a reasonable performance during CY2010. During
July 2010, Crude Oil hovered in a trading range of $70$78 per barrel and from a nominal standpoint, precious metals continue to perform well.
The saga of the BP (NYSE-BP) disaster continued
during July 2010 and BP’s stock fell from a peak in the
low 60s to $26.75 on 6/28/2010 - however, during
mid-July 2010 when it appeared that the spewage
from the busted well might be finally brought under
control, the stock rallied and nearly touched 40 before
stepping back to 37-38. Another company in the
headlines on 7/16/2010 for financial reasons was
Google (NASDAQ-GOOG), which disappointed on the
revenue side in its 2Q2010 financial report and that
stock fell from 494 to 459.
Every year, the Federal Reserve Board meets eight
times to review economic data, monetary policy, and
make appropriate adjustments to interest rates as
deemed appropriate and in extreme circumstances,
the Fed has taken action in between meetings as well.
Interest rates have been kept at historically low levels
for an extended period of time to help the economy
recover.
The target ‘Fed Funds’ Rate (the rate at which
banks lend money to fellow banks) was kept at 0.00%0.25 percent during the aforesaid meetings, and the
discount rate (the rate at which the Fed lends to
banks) stood at 0.75 percent. The remaining four
meetings for CY2010 are scheduled for: August 10,
September 21, November 2-3 and December 14.
Special Note: This article contains the ideas and thoughts of
its author and it does not necessarily imply the viewpoints of
“Saathee” magazine, this website or its principals.
Rajesh Ganatra is also the Community News Editor for
Saathee and writes the “The Cricket Forum” column.
Contact: rajeshtganatra@rocketmail.com
Saathee 120

commit mistakes. Decision and aggressive action
taking tendency must be curbed this month.
Listen to your spouse before making any commitment. You may not enjoy good health. Just
slow down and control your anger.

General Predictions for August 2010

ARIES (Mar 20- Apr 20)
You have entered a difficult phase of time. You
may face tough competition at your place of work
or in business. Your luck may not favor you at a
critical time. You may get some support from your
friends and see relief during second half of the
month. Minor health ailment is also possible. Try
to control your aggression and act wisely to avoid
losses. Also a risk taking tendency must be avoided.
TAURUS (Apr 20 - May 21)
Life should fly this month; you may experience
major ups and downs this month. You can come
out with great success at the end, only if you
watch your morals very strictly. Wrong doing
must be sincerely curbed. You can count on your
partners, but don’t trust them blindly. Minor family problems may also drive you crazy. Heavy
workload may also keep you on your toes most of
the time. Don’t take risks.
GEMINI (May 21 - Jun 21)
After a very active start, you may get lost during
last week of the month. Try to slow down or enjoy
a vacation to avoid mistakes. Major ups and
downs are possible if involved in real estate or
construction-related career. A constant flow of
new ideas and opportunities, however, may make
your schedule very hectic. Time is not good for
heart patients. Good news from your siblings may
come your way during second half of the month.

CANCER (Jun 21 - Jul 22)
The month may start very active but then the
time may slow down for you. Dispute with your
friends and associates may disturb your peace of
mind. Don’t make mistake just for mainlining
relations with your friends. You should, however,
enjoy steady flow of income. Time is good for visiting nature and spending money for spiritual
activities. You may spend the second half of the
month mostly in traveling.
LEO (Jul 22 - Aug 23)
Avoid moving fast during first half of the month.
Major family-related problems may disturb your
schedule this month. You will be back in control
during second half of the month. Don’t rely much
on your intelligence. Your partner may prove to be
a great help this month. Don’t try to cheat to
make easy money. Also, stay cool and avoid arguments at place of work. It is better to avoid
aggression and act wisely.
VIRGO (Aug 23 - Sep 23)
A very hectic month is shaping up for you. You
may get stuck between busy schedule and enjoying your time with family. Added responsibilities
and very aggressive schedule may make you to

August 2010

Saathee 122

LIBRA (Sep 23 - Oct 23)
An important and big move will be delayed. You
may lose a very important opportunity. Your own
mistake will put you in hot water. You may need
some kind of spiritual help throughout the month.
Financial loss is unavoidable. Try to protect your
morals. Any risk-taking tendency must be avoided. Your regular income should remain undisturbed.

SCORPIO (Oct 23 - Nov 22)
A very nasty period is going to throw you up and
down. Don’t rush or flow with the water, but try
to act mature and slowly. Uncertainty may prevail
to drive you crazy. Misunderstanding amongst
family members may disturb you. Your child may
prove to be the best advisor. Avoid competing
with your enemies, instead ignore them. This
may help you in earning good reputation.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 22 - Dec 21)
A very busy schedule and unexpected travel may
change your plan every day. Time is good for
making a deal to buy real estate. Go against your
nature
and
work
very
practically.
Misunderstanding at the place of work may end
up in hot arguments. It may not be possible to
avoid it, hence try to act calmly. Improvement in
health is clearly indicated. Bad news from your
partner is possible in the second week of the
month.
CAPRICORN (Dec 21 - Jan 20)
Even though there won’t be any financial problems, the hyper personality and fear will rule you
during this month. Try to develop mental
strength. If you feel necessary, then spend some
time and do meditation. Actually the period is not
negative, but your aggressive actions won’t allow
you to enjoy the time. At the same time watch
your health. Risk-taking tendency must be avoided.
AQUARIUS (Jan 20 - Feb 19)
The labor that you put in the first half of the
month will produce result in the second half of
the month. The results won’t be promising, but
satisfactory. You will experience delay and disturbance in your day-to-day pursuits. Don’t get
involved in many things at the same time. Time
is good for traveling for vacation. A religious or
social ceremony is also possible in the family.
PISCES (Feb 19 - Mar 20)
This is the month of traveling, period of relaxing
and enjoying the life, celebrating the success and
achievements. Your long cherished wish is going
to be fulfilled during this month. Just watch your
health seriously. Don’t dispute with your spouse.
Do something different to achieve success. Don’t
even think about profit or loss and just walk few
steps on any unknown path.
By Jalendu Vaidya
Contact: 973-365-1766 / hindusvision.com
saathee.com

APNA BAZAR Your Neighborhood Indian Market
freshness, Choice, Value & Best Service • Open 7 days a week

Convenience Store Operators Wanted:
for locations in Durham, Fayetteville,
Greensboro,Raleigh and Winston-Salem.
Must have the ability to hire and work a retail
sales force in order to successfully operate
the store. Previous experience in c-stores
preferred. Must have a minimum investment
of $7000 to get your business started.
Compensation directly correlated to performance. Please visit our website to apply:
www.familyfareconveniencestores.com.
Click on career opportunitiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; then click on
store operator. or contact Jim Hanson at
jimh@familyfarecstores.com.
Quiznos By The Sea For Sale: including
1500 sq ft building in strip center;3 years
old; in very busy area; Contact: sfarmay@yahoo.com

C-store/Gas Station For Sale: Excellent
location in South Carolina. For more information contact Jay at 843-469-7102.
Business For Sale: In Danville, VA. On
Hwy 58 Martinsville. Highway & Local
Business with Exxon Gas Station and Deli
(optional). Good lottery commission &
much more. Good Inside Business. Good
opportunity. Now Hiring Full/Part-Time
Help Also. Call 336-327-4576 or 336501-8917

Nanny Needed: for help with newborn in
South Charlotte. Duties will include care of
baby and light housework. August thru
October need is roughly 8-10 hours per
week. November onwards 40 hours per
week. Candidate must be authorized to
work in US. Please call 704-287-7222.
Help wanted Brightmart Video store in
Charlotte. Full time Tues to Sunday. Call
for details: 803-431-3974.
Hotel Help Wanted: Night auditor for nonfranchise hotel in Raleigh, NC. Must speak
English, couple preferred, experience preferred (will train). Accommodations provided. Please call after 6 pm. 919-231-3000.

Household Help Needed: in Charlotte
(Ballantyne area). Must be able to drive.
Need help with dishes, laundry and ironing.
Mon-Fri from 4-7pm. Can work additional
hours as needed. 704-544-5383.

Help Needed: Help needed only to drop
and pick-up my 2 children from home to
school in Matthews, NC area. Drop at 9am
and pick up at 1 pm and pick 2nd child at
3:30pm. Call 734-502-8244 or email:
vidya.k.venkat@gmail.com
Immediate Openings for Threading
Practitioners:
For locations in North
Carolina. We have Full and Part Time positions available, weekdays and weekends.
Great pay and Tips. Experience is needed.
Please call 980-322-1110 or email:
mo@the-brow-bar.com

Need Energetic Single or Couple: to manage hotel in Charlotte, NC. 1 Bedroom apartment provided. Experience needed. Must
speak fluent English & have computer skills.
Must have legal status. Email: bwhospitality78@gmail.com
Wanted Nanny ASAP: After school care
for 7 and 10yr old in Ballantyne
Area.Please call for more info. 704-8068907 or 803-396-8726.
C-Store/Gas
Station
Hiring:
In
Charlotte, NC. Looking for a full-time
employee. Good pay. Good hours. Must be
legal. Call Vimal: 704-299-2580

Gas Station Help Wanted: Shelby, N. C.
(45 miles form Charlotte). Experience with
Ruby and NC Lotto a must. Good Pay.
Contact Haresh Patel @ 704-472-1572.
Nanny Needed: to take care of newborn
in Fort Mill, SC (5 miles from Charlotte).
Please call 216-502-7017.

Saathee 124

Eyebrow Threader

H E L P WA N T E D

Saathee

We are hiring females who
know Eyebrow Threading
or henna tattoo. We will give
you training. Fulltime, part-time
or weekends.
(MUST SPEAK ENGLISH).
Our locations:

1 Cary, NC
2 Fayetteville, NC

If you live around these
areas please call:

(773) 507-8848
Email: apq147@yahoo.com
If you wish to move out of state,
we offer a great salary + commission + tips + living allowance .

Elderly Care & Household Help
Needed: Looking for a Indian Gujarati
speaking female to take care of older Lady
for 4 hours, 11.00am to 3.00pm
(Flexible), Monday to Friday. Perfect job
for gujarati college student. Light housework, prepare light lunch for her and dinner for two. House is located in South
Charlotte. Must have your own transportation. Call 704-408-9844
LIVE-IN Nanny Needed: for 1 year and 3
year old children in Greensboro, NC from
August. Light household work and cooking
expected. Call 617-529-9914 or email
docrai04@yahoo.com
Kitchen Help Needed: Full-Time or PartTime for Indian vegetarian restaurant in
Morrisville, NC. Cary/Morrisville residents
preferred. Call 919-802-5343
FOR SALE OR RENT:

House For Rent: in Charlotte. University
area close to I-85 & I-485, safe & quiet
neighborhood. Call 704-510-1443.

Seeking Hindu Male: Between ages 2731 for sister living in Pune, India. She has
B. com, is employed & currently working
towards MBA. 704-619-0251
SERVICES:

Avon: One stop online store for more than
100 items. New deals every month.
www.youravon.com/kkaur. Or call me to
help you start your own Avon business
@704-451-5605

Famous
Indian
Astrologer
In
Charlotte: From August 1st to 31st .
Horoscope & palm reading. Invite at your
residence or stop by for a visit. For
appointment contact 980-395-9469 or
email: a452001@rediffmail.com

Business ads are $25 & personal ads
are $15 up to 25 words. Submit classifieds on-line at www.saathee.com or
via e-mail, fax or US Mail. Ad
Submission Deadline is the 20th of the
month. We accept credit cards and
checks. Ads are posted on saathee.com
at no extra charge. Feel free to call us
with any questions.
704.527.7570 Fax: 704.527.7590
Saatheemag@hotmail.com
www.saathee.com
PO Box 11468,

Charlotte, NC 28220

R E S U L T S !

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magazine for the South Asian
Community of the Carolinas
Email
Saatheemag@hotmail.com
or call (704) 527-7570
for advertising rates & info

Prices good until 8.30.10 or while supplies last
at Charlotte Location only.

Greensboro location

110 East Meadowview Rd. Suite# 102 Greensboro, NC 27406

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